Responding to the threat posed by ISIS/ISIL, NATO has deployed AWACS surveillance aircraft to support the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. NATO’s advanced Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft are helping to make the skies safer by providing greater situational awareness, and thereby boosting and enhancing the Coalition’s overall “air picture”. Operating from Konya Airfield in Turkey, NATO’s AWACS aircraft have been supporting the Coalition with air surveillance and situational awareness since October 2016. Following a decision by NATO Heads of State and Government in May 2017, the AWACS aircraft will also conduct airspace management for the Coalition. The coordination of airstrikes is not part of the mandate. AWACS aircraft only fly in international airspace or over Turkey. AWACS aircraft (Boeing E-3A) are capable of detecting aircraft hundreds of kilometres away, meaning that they can monitor Iraqi and Syrian airspace from inside Turkish airspace. NATO’s deployment of AWACS aircraft is a tangible contribution to the counter-ISIS/ISIL effort and a signal of NATO’s determination to help fight terrorism. By providing AWACS support, NATO is demonstrating its resolve to tackle security challenges coming from the Middle East and North Africa.
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