On the 28th of September, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk announced that Poland plans to simplify the procedure for shooting down objects that have entered its airspace without authorization, Politico reports.
Tensions between Warsaw and Moscow are palpable following repeated Russian violations of Polish airspace in recent weeks, and this decision could cause them to escalate further. Speaking to reporters, Tomczyk explained that pilots currently must not only rely on radar readings but also establish visual contact with an object before shooting it down; this entails flying up to the target to identify exactly what it is.
Now, the Polish Ministry of Defense plans to scrap the visual identification requirement. Tomczyk noted that, once the changes are implemented, a pilot or commander will be able to decide whether to shoot down an object based solely on radar data. The new rules will save time, meaning
Polish fighter jets will be able to shoot down drones and missiles coming from Russia more quickly.
On the 23rd of September, a Russian Mi-8 helicopter briefly entered Polish airspace from the Königsberg region. It penetrated about 300 meters into Polish airspace and remained there for 42 seconds. Poland responded by scrambling fighter jets. The Polish Operational Command commented on the incident, noting that Russia was once again testing the readiness of Poland’s air defenses.
Poland has previously shot down drones that entered its airspace. Around this time last year, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated that Poland would shoot down Russian fighter jets if they crossed the airspace border, adding that the Russians had been warned.
Read also: Russian dictator tests NATO in the Arctic
The post Poland eases rules; will shoot down airspace violators more quickly appeared first on Baltic News Network.
