Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets have begun NATO air defence missions over Poland, underscoring Britain’s role in deterring Russian provocations on the Alliance’s eastern flank.
As first reported by the UK Defence Journal, two Typhoons launched from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on Friday evening, supported by a Voyager tanker, to patrol Polish skies.
The sortie formed part of NATO’s Eastern Sentry mission, created after Russian drones violated Polish sovereign airspace earlier this month in what NATO called the most serious breach of Alliance airspace since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defence has now confirmed the mission, with the jets returning to the UK in the early hours of Saturday. Officials stressed this was only the beginning of sustained operations to bolster the Alliance’s deterrence posture.
Defence Secretary John Healey said: “RAF Typhoons have now flown their first air defence mission over Poland, sending a clear signal: NATO airspace will be defended. I’m proud of the outstanding British pilots and air crew who took part in this successful operation to defend our Allies from reckless Russian aggression.”
The missions come as the UK marks the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, a reminder of shared history with Poland, whose pilots flew alongside the RAF in 1940. Now, British jets stand watch over Poland in the face of a new threat from Russia.
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth, added: “Our partnership with NATO has never been stronger. This sortie marks the RAF’s first operational mission on Eastern Sentry, reinforcing the UK’s steadfast commitment to NATO and its allies. We remain agile, integrated, and ready to project airpower at range.”
Equipped with advanced sensors and ASRAAM missiles, the Typhoons are well-suited to detect and intercept aerial threats such as drones or Russian fighter aircraft. The operation is part of Britain’s wider role in NATO, from the permanent Army presence in Estonia to rotational deployments in Romania.
By visibly projecting airpower into Eastern Europe, the RAF’s patrols aim to remind Moscow that its testing of NATO’s borders will be met with immediate and credible responses.
Is that the latest comunication device attached to the Canopy, a great big Megaphone ?
No, that’s to do with the fuel. If the aircraft is running low then up pops the retractable tow bar and then a bigger plane can come along and haul it to its next destination. I’ve seen the pictures.
Isn’t sending out typhoons armed only with short range missiles like fighting a sniper with a revolver?
I took the ASRAAM missiles comment as part of a generalisation of Typhoon wider capabilities, not literally what they carry.
Show boating. We all know the whole UK armed forces are gigantically under strength and lacking key mass and any form of attritional reserve.
The RAF needs to purchase Spain’s tranche 2s x 24 AND order an additional batch of 24-36 new aircraft to see the RAF through to Tempest. Current frontline deployable strength isn’t deterring anyone, least of all Putin.