A British Hurricane fighter jet on patrol — RAF pilots are actually flying over Poland alongside Swedish forces in NATO’s newest jap air mission
Credit score : Shutterstock,
Matthew Troke
British fighter jets have touched down in jap Poland this week, because the RAF kicks off its newest NATO air policing mission — and this time, they’re joined by Sweden.
For the primary time since becoming a member of NATO final yr, Sweden is deploying its Gripen jets to guard one other member state, working alongside British Typhoons to maintain a watchful eye on NATO’s jap skies.
The joint operation, launched on Tuesday 1 April, comes amid rising considerations over Russian aggression and goals to spice up air safety throughout the area.
Sweden joins NATO air patrols in first joint mission with UK
This marks a significant first for Swedish defence forces, who are actually totally built-in into NATO’s command construction. Teaming up with RAF pilots, they’ll be patrolling Polish airspace as a part of an ongoing mission to discourage threats close to the alliance’s jap border.
UK Defence Minister Lord Coaker, who travelled to Poland for the launch, met along with his Swedish and Polish counterparts to reaffirm Britain’s dedication to the alliance.
“The UK is totally dedicated to NATO — and standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies has by no means been extra vital,” mentioned Coaker.
“That is about maintaining Europe safe, not simply at dwelling, however throughout the entire alliance.”
The RAF deployment consists of six Hurricane fighter jets from II (AC) Squadron, based mostly at RAF Lossiemouth. They’ll function from a Polish base in the course of the mission.
UK boosts defence spending and expands NATO missions
The joint air patrol is simply the most recent in a string of high-profile NATO operations involving the RAF. Final yr noticed deployments to Romania and Iceland, with British jets serving to defend each NATO’s southern and northern airspace.
Again within the UK, RAF Typhoons proceed to hold out 24/7 airspace safety as a part of the Fast Response Alert Power, based mostly at Coningsby, Lossiemouth, and Brize Norton.
The timing additionally displays the federal government’s push on defence funding. Within the latest Spring Assertion, the Chancellor pledged an additional £2.2 billion for defence in 2025/26, with plans to extend spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 — and even additional within the subsequent Parliament.
Poland stays a key ally for the UK, not simply in NATO but in addition in broader European safety issues. Each nations have been vocal supporters of Ukraine and are among the many largest defence spenders on the continent.
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