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Italy in the NATO skies. All the figures behind a conflict we’d rather not see
Italian fighter jets in Lithuania are not a one-off occurrence. In 2026, up to 15 September, there were at least 50 documented missions
16 SEP 26
Translated by AI
A Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II belonging to the Italian Navy landing (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
To what extent is Italy involved in defending NATO’s airspace? Yesterday, two Italian fighter jets were scrambled in Lithuania following a new alert on the eastern flank. We asked NATO and the Italian Air Force for the figures on operational deployments.
In 2025, there were 15 actual air defence operations on Italian territory and 94 sorties or deployments as part of NATO missions in Estonia, Lithuania and Romania.
In 2026, up to 15 September, there were at least 50 documented interventions: four in Italy (mostly routine) and 46 abroad.
An operation may involve the take-off of two or more aircraft: we have chosen to consider only the operational event itself, not the number of aircraft deployed.
The data highlights one fact: just how much Italy is a daily part of surveillance and deterrence on the Alliance’s eastern flank. The Russian threat can be ignored, at least until it becomes necessary to deal with it by deploying our own forces.