4 ms·
There was already Norway, Denmark and Poland fairly close by (close in terms of air travel). But yes, Sweden and Finland in NATO is nice. Also for the fact tha
by jopsen 4y ago
There was already Norway, Denmark and Poland fairly close by (close in terms of air travel).
But yes, Sweden and Finland in NATO is nice. Also for the fact that NATO not intervening in aggression against Sweden or Finland is hard to imagine, so getting papers on the marriage is nice for all parties involved.
- jltsiren 4y agoThe idea is that if Sweden and Finland are not members of NATO, their airspace would be closed to NATO air forces in a NATO–Russia conflict. Then the only way to reach Baltic airspace would be flying past Kaliningrad. Also, as far as I understand, the combat radius fighter jets is quite short. It's something like 500 to 1200 km, depending on aircraft type and weapons load. Having bases 100 or 200 km closer is already a significant advantage.
- KptMarchewa 4y agoThe fighter jets can refuel during flight, which is a routine operation.
- jltsiren 4y agoTankers won't help here. The problem is that NATO fighters would effectively have to fly over Russia before they can reach the Baltic states. The area where tankers can operate safely already has plenty of NATO airbases.