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RAF Typhoon jets will be deployed within days to shoot down drones over Poland and other Nato allies in eastern Europe if necessary, after last week’s incursion of 19 uncrewed Russian aircraft into Poland.
The British fighters, based at Coningsby in Lincolnshire, will join Nato’s new Eastern Sentry mission working alongside French, German and Danish counterparts who are acting as reinforcements for Dutch F-35s and Polish F-16s.
John Healey, the defence secretary, said Nato was “responding with unity and strength” to the threats and that Typhoons would be ready to attack Russian drones flying over Nato countries if required to do so.
“If you’ve got drones that are putting Polish lives at risk, then Nato will take the action to take them out,” Healey said on a visit to a planned drone factory in Swindon, saying the Typhoons were part of a broader mission “to defend Nato airspace”.
The minister was visiting an unused industrial site in Swindon where Tekever, a drone manufacturer, is planning to build a factory, invest up to £400m and create hundreds of jobs supplying reconnaissance drones to European militaries.
Over the weekend, Romania became the second Nato ally in eastern Europe to detect a Russian drone crossing into its airspace in a week – and Healey said that the Typhoons mission would extend operations to the country if deemed necessary.
He said: “They are deployed as part of the Nato Eastern Sentry air policing. What Nato decides to and where it decides to deploy them will be for Nato. That’s part of our contribution to the alliance.”
Last Wednesday, 19 unarmed Russian drones crossed the border into Poland as part of a broader attack on Ukraine, prompting Nato to scramble jets and activate Patriot air defence systems in a major defensive operation.
Though there were no casualties, only three or four of the drones were shot down, raising questions about the effectiveness of western air defences. In response, Nato’s military commander called for an increase the number of fighter jets available for air policing.
On Friday, Nato leaders announced the creation of Operation Eastern Sentry, a plan to better protect the skies over alliance members in eastern Europe, starting with Poland. The alliance’s most senior military chief, Gen Alexus Grynkewich said Nato was “bringing additional resources to bear” in the effort.
The US, however, has not announced any additional commitments, in line with previous statements made by Donald Trump and his defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, that European members of Nato are expected to take the lead on defending the continent against Russian aggression and spillover from the war in Ukraine.
Earlier on Monday, former chief of defence staff Tony Radakin said that he and Healey had met Hegseth in Brussels in March and were told with “incredible clarity” that “America is focusing more on the Indo Pacific and its homeland security and that would mean that Europe would have to do more and take more responsibility”.
Healey said that the Typhoons would be “operational and involved within days”. Though based in Lincolnshire, from where it takes about 90 minutes to reach Poland, they are supported by a dedicated Voyager air-to-air refuelling air craft, allowing them to prolong their missions if necessary.
The British effort would be supported by 400 military personnel in the UK, the minister added. “It’s not just a few planes in the air, it’s a significant operation, part of a much bigger Nato exercise on the eastern flank,” Healey said.
There was no further update on whether the UK believed that the Russian drone incursion into Poland was deliberate. Healey said: “There’s no firm confirmation on intent, but in the end that’s not the point. It’s still reckless, it’s still dangerous.” It was, he added, “straight out of the [Vladimir] Putin playbook”.
