On the night of September 19-20, two British Typhoon fighter jets carried out their first sortie as part of NATO's Eastern Sentry mission and patrolled Polish airspace.
The UK government announced this.
The aircraft took off from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire with a Voyager tanker to reinforce the Alliance's eastern flank after russian drones invaded Poland on September 10. They returned safely to the UK on the morning of September 20.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey said the operation sent a clear signal that NATO was ready to defend its airspace. He stressed London's commitment to its allies and thanked the pilots and crews for their participation in the mission.
The British government recalled that the country continues to play an active role in the collective security of the Alliance. In particular, this concerns the presence of British military personnel as part of NATO's Forward Presence Force in Estonia and the participation of Typhoon fighters in missions to protect the airspace of Poland and Romania over the past 18 months.
When and under what circumstances did russian drones violate Polish airspace
On the night of September 10, several russian drones crossed the border during an attack on Ukraine and violated Polish airspace. This was the first time that Polish aviation shot down drones over its territory.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported that a total of at least 19 violations had been recorded.
In response to the incident, NATO activated Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty. It provides for consultations between member states if there is a threat to the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any Alliance country.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.