The British authorities introduced its intention to hitch NATO’s Operation Jap Sentry following continued incursions of Russian drones in NATO airspace.
Royal Air Drive Typhoons will deploy as part of Operation Jap Sentry to observe and defend the skies of NATO’s jap flank. These plane will function straight from RAF Coningsby within the UK, utilising tanker help from RAF Voyagers to allow the lengthy flight occasions to Poland and again. Right here they are going to be a part of a multi-national contingent of plane from throughout NATO companions to cease additional Russian incursion over NATO territory.
This deployment comes a number of days following the violation of Poland’s airspace on Sept. 9, 2025 by 19 Russian Gerbera drones, with a quantity shot down by responding NATO plane. A number of days later, on Sept. 14, a Russian Geran-2 was detected in Romanian airspace, prompting additional condemnation of Russia from NATO capitals.
While the violation of NATO air house by Russian drones will not be wholly unusual, with drones usually being present in fields in Estonia, Romania and Poland, this marked a big escalation attributable to its scale, and the truth that NATO for the primary time ever was pressured to shoot down a hostile overseas entity over its territory.
Russian drone assaults the constructing of the Nationwide Pharmaceutical College in Kharkiv.
That is how Russian terror towards the Ukrainian inhabitants seems like. Mindless killings. Destruction of schooling and science. pic.twitter.com/dMboiUR7In
— Денис Казанський (@den_kazansky) September 16, 2025
Questions nonetheless stay over whether or not this act was a deliberate escalation by Russia because it continues its invasion of Ukraine. The motion of those drones in direction of Rzeszów, NATO’s major logistics hub for supplying weapons and gear to Ukraine, signifies that this doubtless was a deliberate act to check NATO’s unity and its credibility to defend itself. Both manner it has now prompted the UK to hitch the efforts to cease additional violations.
French “Rafale” Multirole Fighter Jets scrambling earlier from an airbase in Poland as a part of their first fight alert to defend Polish Airspace, from potential intrusion by Russian one-way assault drones, beneath NATO’s Jap Sentry. pic.twitter.com/YnDOZrYy9W
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) September 13, 2025
To date, F-16 Preventing Falcons from Denmark, three French Rafales and 4 German Eurofighters have been deployed as part of the NATO operation, becoming a member of the Italian and Dutch F-35s which can be already deployed on Baltic Air Policing and Enhanced Air Policing duties. This may mark a big build-up of NATO plane working alongside the Jap flank, probably not seen for the reason that begin of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The British deployment can be completely different to conventional air policing missions, by which UK and NATO plane are based mostly inside the state they’re supporting. A detachment of Typhoons from No. II Squadron RAF solely lately returned from Poland.
In reality, a number of months prior, the jets have been deployed to the nation for Operation Chessman. This noticed RAF and Swedish fighters be a part of the Polish Air Drive for the improved safety of their air house. NATO air policing missions at present happen within the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, in addition to Iceland, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria.
The Hurricane is effectively suited to this function as it’s the RAF’s major air superiority fighter. Various plane are often assigned to the enduring Fast Response Alert (QRA) mission, the place various plane are saved at excessive readiness 24 hours a day, seven days per week to answer any menace in British skies. While the F-35B Lightning II may deploy for air policing duties and has executed up to now, the numerous bulk of the fleet is at present deployed to the Pacific for the UK’s Service Strike Group 2025, with the remainder of the fleet focused on coaching.
This leaves the Hurricane, which has already proved itself throughout fight operations over Libya and Syria, in addition to towards Iranian drones flying over Iraq in early 2025 and late 2024. The Hurricane comes with a big benefit, carrying NATO’s most superior past visible ranged air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), the MBDA Meteor.
This weapon has an estimated 200 km vary and high velocity of Mach 4, making it extremely efficient towards jet plane and cruise missiles. If these incursions have been to escalate to cruise missile assaults or probing by plane, the RAF could be effectively outfitted to cope with the menace.
Saying the RAF deployment, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that:
“Russia’s reckless behaviour is a direct menace to European safety and a violation of worldwide legislation, which is why the UK will help NATO’s efforts to bolster its jap flank via Jap Sentry.
These plane should not only a present of power, they’re important in deterring aggression, securing NATO airspace, and defending our nationwide safety and that of our allies.
We’ll proceed to face agency in our help for Ukraine and ramp up the strain on Putin till there’s a simply and lasting peace.”
Moreover, Defence Secretary John Healey MP said that:
“Russia’s actions are reckless, harmful, and unprecedented. They solely serve to strengthen the unity of NATO. Simply as we stand with Ukraine, we’ll stand with our Polish NATO allies within the face of Russian aggression.
The UK is absolutely dedicated to enjoying its half in Jap Sentry, rising our navy presence on NATO’s jap flank even additional.
Our superior Hurricane fighter jets will assist deter Russian aggression and, the place wanted, defend NATO’s airspace, making Britain safe at residence and powerful overseas, the inspiration of our Plan for Change.”
The deployment of RAF and allied fighters will hopefully deter additional incursions of such scale and, if needed, defeat them.
Romanian Incursion
Removed from the mass incursion reported in Poland, the Romanian authorities reported solely a single drone violating their nation’s airspace. This incursion is extra prone to be unintended reasonably than a check of NATO’s credibility, attributable to the truth that it was solely a single drone that quickly crashed in Romania’s countryside.
As talked about earlier than, incursions reminiscent of this have been reported throughout NATO’s jap flank and are as a result of vital variety of a technique assault drones used towards Ukraine. Particular person air raids see shut to at least one thousand drones and missiles hit Ukraine each day, and a budget nature of those weapons imply that many go astray and lose connection to their operator through the assaults.
To date, no casualties have been reported from direct hits by Russian drones on NATO soil.
On this occasion, Romanian F-16s detected a Geran-2 drone close to the village of Chilia Veche and tracked it because it entered Romanian airspace from Southern Ukraine. In line with the Romanian Ministry of Defence, the drone didn’t pose a right away menace to individuals on the bottom and it was quickly after misplaced from radar, doubtless crashing.
Romanian F-16s are authorised to shoot down any Russian drones that enter their airspace, nevertheless it was judged that capturing the drone down could be extra dangerous for these on the bottom. Understandably this induced some consternation from the Romanian public, who didn’t like the thought of Russian assault drones flying overhead freely.
Right now, Romania scrambled fight plane due to a Russian drone in its airspace. In line with present information, the drone penetrated about 10 kilometers into Romanian territory and operated in NATO airspace for round 50 minutes. Additionally right this moment, Poland responded militarily to the…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 13, 2025
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has referred to as the most recent incursion “an apparent enlargement of the struggle by Russia” the place forces of the Russian Federation intentionally check NATO’s responses with smaller incursions, permitting them to get away with extra vital motion in a while. This tracks with Russia’s modus operandi, the place the invasion of Crimea and the Donbass Battle preceded the full-on invasion of Ukraine, as they noticed an unwillingness from NATO nations to reply forcefully to Russia’s piecemeal advances.
Extra must be executed to make sure that NATO is ready to match Russia’s check of their unity. To date, the deployment of RAF Typhoons is a optimistic step on this course.
Czech Deployment
Czechia has additionally introduced the deployment of a helicopter unit of three Mi-17s and 150 particular forces troops to Poland, to help within the shootdown of low degree drones over Polish territory. This deployment was introduced by Czech defence minister Jana Černochová who said that “It is crucial that the assistance comes shortly and that we present Russia our unity. We’re able to ship the unit inside a matter of days.”
Moreover, Karel Řehka, the Czech Chief of Normal Workers, said that the helicopter unit can be deployed “for as much as three months,” with the exact variety of personnel and plane altering relying on the circumstances and Polish necessities for help. This deployment echoes using helicopters by Ukraine and Israel to hunt low degree Russian drones that might pose points for fighters, by way of the price of their destruction.
Mi-8 Hip and Mi-24 Hind helicopters have used onboard weapons to shoot down Shahed 136 and Geran 2 drones at low ranges throughout Ukraine, while Israeli AH-64 Apaches have executed the identical with the onboard chain gun.
Utilizing helicopters on this method permits for a low-cost answer for destroying one-way drones as they don’t dissipate costly – and sometimes uncommon – missiles for the elimination of the drone menace. This tactic is prone to be replicated additional by NATO forces as the specter of one-way assault drones turns into a extra vital menace towards international operations.
