Spain to deploy combat aircraft to Poland amid Russian drone incursions

The Spanish Air Force will send two combat aircraft to Poland in November to bolster NATO defences against increasingly frequent Russian drone incursions, according to military sources.

The move marks Spain’s most visible contribution to NATO’s Operation Eastern Sentry, launched on September 12 after nearly twenty Russian drones breached Polish airspace, Caliber.Az reports per El Pais.

Spain’s involvement, however, extends beyond this deployment. Two of the eight Spanish Eurofighter jets currently stationed at Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania for an air policing mission have already been reassigned to the operation, accompanied by an A400M air refuelling aircraft. In total, Spain will contribute four combat aircraft and one tanker aircraft to the operation. The deployment to Poland will coincide with the arrival of a Lithuanian detachment, which will replace the current Eurofighters with F-18 fighters.

Meanwhile, France has deployed three Rafale fighters to Malbork Air Base in Poland, while Denmark and the United Kingdom have placed F-35 fighters on alert and Denmark has also dispatched a frigate to patrol the Baltic Sea. Germany and Sweden have similarly announced contributions to the mission.

NATO has yet to clarify whether the massive Russian drone intrusion into Poland was accidental or intentional. However, recent incidents suggest a deliberate strategy by Moscow to test the response capacity and solidarity of NATO allies. On September 13, Romanian authorities reported incursions by Russian drones, and at the end of the month, three Russian MiG-31 jets violated Estonian airspace for 12 minutes. While NATO did not invoke Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which guarantees mutual defence, it did activate Article 4, allowing for consultations among member states.

By Khagan Isayev