The Defense of National Airspace is the primary mission of the Portuguese F-16 fleet, and in this regard, one of the missions carried out repeatedly over the last three decades has been that of air exclusion.

The F-16 fighters have performed real missions of this nature, ensuring security in the aerial component of high-visibility and high-risk events. Examples include NATO Summits held in Portugal (Azores 2003 and Lisbon 2010), major events with large public gatherings such as EURO 2004, and visits by His Holiness the Pope in 2000, 2010, 2017, and more recently, during the World Youth Day in 2023, among others.

The combination of sensors, equipment, and armament that characterize the F-16 MLU, along with the specific training of national F-16 crews, makes this platform exceptional for this mission.