A Spanish EF-18M fighter jet flying armed at the inauguration of the Sēlija military base, Latvia

Following the start of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Latvia began a process of rearmament, as did other allied countries.

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As part of this process, the Latvian Armed Forces have built a new military base in Sēlija, located in the southwest of the country between the counties of Aizkraukle and Jēkabpils. This base is intended to serve as a training ground for Latvian soldiers and allied forces deployed in the Baltic state as part of NATO's eastern flank reinforcement operation.

The Latvian National Armed Forces' YouTube channel has published a video this afternoon about this base and the inauguration ceremony (if you don't know Latvian, I recommend activating the automatic English subtitles in the player's bottom bar):

Construction of the new base began in 2024, and its first phase was completed today with an inauguration ceremony marking its initial operational capability. According to the Latvian Army, the new base consists of three live-fire ranges, a logistics support area for company-sized units, an ammunition depot, and an unexploded ordnance storage area. Below, we can see an M-109A5O self-propelled howitzer of the Latvian Army's Mechanized Infantry Brigade Artillery Unit.

"The training ground is already in active use: tactical and engineering training, armored vehicle movements, aerial overflights, and unmanned aerial vehicle training are all conducted there," the Latvian Army stated. "Since June 2025, a unique drone testing center has also been operating at the training ground, where local and international drone and counter-drone tests are carried out." In fact, one of the aerial assets on display at the event was an EOS C VTOL reconnaissance drone, manufactured in Estonia by Threod Systems OÜ (pictured below).

The Latvian Army and the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Lithuania have published two series of photos of the inauguration of this military base in which we can see some of the air and ground assets that participated in this event.

One of the most photographed weapons systems at this event was also the only participating aircraft, an EF-18M Hornet fighter from the 15th Wing of the Spanish Air Force, the C.15-38 (15-25).

This fighter jet has participated in this exercise armed with two types of air-to-air missiles: two AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range missiles on fuselage pylons and two AIM-2000 IRIS-T short-range missiles on wingtip pylons.

This EF-18M also carried an AN/AAQ-28(V) LITENING target designator on its ventral pylon. Additionally, the aircraft carried two 1,200-liter Sargent Fletcher FPU-8/A external fuel tanks on underwing pylons. In these photos, we can clearly see the false cockpit painted on the underside of the aircraft, a trick used by many fighters to mislead the enemy in close-quarters dogfights.

This aircraft is one of ten EF-18M fighters from Wing 15 of the Vilkas Detachment, which is deployed at Šiauliai Air Base (Lithuania) on a NATO Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission. At the end of November, these ten aircraft relieved ten Spanish Eurofighters from Wing 11 that were carrying out the same mission at that Lithuanian base.

Spain has been contributing for years to these NATO BAP missions, which aim to provide air defense to the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia), whose small air forces do not have their own fighter jets.

These photos of the Spanish EF-18M have been published by photographer Gatis Dieziņš (of the Latvian Ministry of Defense), by an unidentified photographer of the Latvian National Armed Forces and by Sergeant Arnas Čemerkos of the Lithuanian Army.

In addition to the Spanish aircraft, this inaugural event included the participation of special operations groups from Latvia and the United States. In the following photo, we can see operators from the US Army Special Forces (recognizable by their famous patches with the skull, dagger, and crossed arrows over the US flag) alongside members of the NBS SUV, the elite group of the Latvian Army.

A Latvian Air Force UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter (the 108th) made a formidable display during this event, disembarking special operations soldiers using the fast rope system.

This event also featured the participation of a US Army Black Hawk, assigned to the 3rd Fighter Aviation Brigade "Falcon" of the 3rd Infantry Division.

This Bell CH-146 Griffon of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the Canadian version of the Bell 412EP, was Canada's contribution to this event. This helicopter is currently assigned to the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia.

Finally, this M-109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzer of the US Army, assigned to the 82nd Field Artillery Regiment "Dragons" of the 1st Cavalry Division, could also be seen at the event.

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Photos: Latvijas Armija / Lietuvos Respublikos Krašto Apsaugos Ministerija.