The United Kingdom’s combat aircraft have carried out a NATO mission on Poland in response to Russian drone raids in the Polish airspace, confirmed the Ministry of Defense.
The RAF Typhoon aircraft were sent from Lincolnshire on Friday night, patrolling the skies of Poland before returning to the United Kingdom early on Saturday. They were supported by a Raf Voyager Aire-Aire-Aire Fuel Replacement plane.
The mission follows 19 drones that enter Poland’s airspace on September 10, which leads NATO to launch “Eastern Sentry”, its latest air defense effort. Poland intercepted three drones during the incident, the most serious violation since the invasion of Russia of Ukraine began in 2022.
The Secretary of Defense, John Healey, said that the deployment of the United Kingdom’s combat planes showed that “NATO airspace will be defended.”
He added that flights demonstrated the allied unit at a time of repeated violations throughout the region.
Russia has denied attacking NATO territory, but drones and missiles have regularly diverted in countries that border Ukraine. Romania and Estonia also reported recent infractions of airspace, and the latter requested urgent consultations under the NATO rules.
The Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, described the September incident as “the closest we have been to open conflicts since World War II.”
Article 4 of NATO, triggered by Poland after drone attack, allows any Member State to raise security concerns before the North Atlantic Council.
The RAF mission also had symbolic weight. It arrives 85 years after the Poles pilots flew alongside the RAF during the battle of Great Britain.
Healey pointed out the importance of the United Kingdom’s combat planes once again with Poland, saying that he highlighted the “shared security” commitments.
Marshal Harv Smyth, head of the air staff, said the United Kingdom is still completely integrated with NATO operations and ready to project aerial energy.
The deployment underlines NATO’s effort to deter more violations while reinforcing the eastern flank of the alliance.
The United Kingdom’s combat planes is expected to continue supporting NATO missions in the coming weeks as tensions persist with Russia.
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