NATO Fighters from Poland Are on the Move
The Polish aircraft will conduct Air Policing on NATO‘s eastern flank under the command of the alliance‘s Combined Air Operations Center.
Regarding NATO‘s Air Policing mission, the word complicated comes to mind. It calls for various alliance members to take part in patrols in the skies of other partner nations. Four Polish Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons recently deployed to Šiauliai, Lithuania, and will operate alongside an additional four Fighting Falcons from the Romanian Air Force that arrived days earlier, taking over from the French and Italian detachments, NATO announced.
Polish aircraft completed the first Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission in 2006. This marks Romania‘s third BAP deployment to Lithuania, the second with the F-16. The Polish and Romanian aircraft and ground crews will patrol through July.
British Typhoons and Swedish Gripens in Poland
Even as Warsaw has sent four of its F-16s to its neighbor to the north, Eurofighter Typhoons from the UK‘s Royal Air Force (RAF) and Swedish Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripens also recently arrived at the 22nd Air Base in Malbork, Poland. The aircraft will conduct Air Policing on NATO‘s eastern flank under the command of the alliance‘s Combined Air Operations Center.
The Swedish Armed Forces shared images of its Gripen fighters arriving in Poland on X. At the same time, the RAF also posted photos of Typhoons as they began the Air Policing mission.
“We have had excellent and close cooperation with both the British and the Polish to ensure that all pieces fall into place to prepare us for our QRA mission,” explained Lieutenant Colonel Anders Gustafsson of the Swedish Air Force.
“Everything has gone very well so far, and we look forward to strengthening NATO‘s air defense.”
While Stockholm had previously participated in joint missions from its territory following its admission into the international military alliance, this is the first time the Swedish Air Force has participated in an Enhanced Air Policing Mission.
“This is a significant contribution from NATO‘s newest member,” added United States Army Colonel Martin O‘Donnell, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe spokesperson.
“We welcome the additional strength Sweden brings to our air policing mission.”
The Enhanced Air Policing mission began after Russia‘s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and covers several regions, including the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and the eastern flank of Europe. The Swedish aircraft could also be deployed to Poland for around two months, while the RAF‘s Typhoons could remain a little longer, perhaps up to four months.
“With threats increasing and growing Russian aggression, it is vital that we stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies,” Lord Vernon Coaker, British Minister of State in the Ministry of Defense, said in a statement.
“This latest air policing mission in Poland displays the UK‘s ability to operate effectively with NATO‘s newest member in Sweden and deter our common adversaries across the alliance‘s airspace.”
Gripens Will Take Part in Ramstein Flag 2025
It is unclear how many Swedish Gripens are now participating in the ongoing Ramstein Flag 2025 large-scale NATO multinational air combat exercise. Still, Hungary acknowledged deploying multiple JAS 39 multirole fighters this year.
More than ninety aircraft from fifteen NATO allies participated in the large-scale exercise from a dozen European bases. Ramstein Flag 2025 kicked off on March 31 and will conclude on April 11.
According to the U.S. Air Force, “RAFL25 is a multi-domain, tactical-level live-fly exercise to train, demonstrate, and advance combined warfare capabilities, including agile combat employment, integrated air and missile defense, and counter anti-access and area denial in a simulated Article 5 scenario.”
Though not an Air Policing mission, it trains the aviators who carry out those patrols. This year, it will emphasize “distributed operations” among alliance partners.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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