Germany to send fighter jets to Latvia during election amid drone threat

BERLIN — Germany will deploy Eurofighter jets to Latvia to help protect its airspace during next month’s parliamentary election as repeated drone incursions have raised security concerns along NATO’s eastern flank. Four German Eurofighters will be sent to the Lielvārde Air Base in central Latvia for about a week from late September into early October, Germany’s defense ministry said Wednesday. The ministry added that Latvia had requested additional support from its NATO allies to secure its airspace ahead of the Oct. 3 vote. The Latvian defense ministry did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment. Latvia has experienced several drone incidents this year.