Poland will change the rules for using combat aviation against foreign objects that have entered its airspace. Pilots will no longer be required to first approach the target and identify it visually before a decision is made to open fire.
The change was announced by Deputy Minister of Defense Cezary Tomczyk. According to him, the new procedure will suffice with so-called positive identification, based on radar data and the characteristics of the object – the direction of entry, its speed, altitude and trajectory.
“Polish fighter jets will shoot down drones and missiles flying towards us from Russia more quickly“, said Cezary Tomczyk.Currently, the pilot must visually confirm what the aerial object is. This requires the fighter jet to get close to it, which can slow down the reaction to fast-moving missiles or drones that are difficult to recognize from a distance.
The decision comes after the entry of a Russian Mi-8
On September 23, a Russian military Mi-8 helicopter briefly entered Polish airspace from the Kaliningrad region. The machine penetrated about 300 meters into Polish territory and remained there for 42 seconds before returning.
Poland has scrambled fighter jets, and ground forces and air defense assets have been put on alert. The Polish operational command said the nature of the incident showed that Russia was "once again testing the readiness" of Polish air defenses.
The helicopter was tracked by Polish radar systems. The incident near the northern border occurred against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Warsaw and Moscow and a series of air incidents related to the war in Ukraine.
The exact date for the new rules was not specified
Tomczyk said that changes to the procedures for using fighter jets and helicopters would be introduced in the coming days. The exact date on which the new rules will come into effect has not been made public.
The deputy minister pointed out that until now such possibilities have been mainly associated with war or a state of emergency. According to him, the growing threat of drones and missiles entering Poland requires the Polish army to be able to react more quickly when an air target is detected from the direction of Russia.
Sources: Focus, TVP World, Reuters