Shahed drones from Russia: Dutch F-35s scrambled in Poland

Because Shahed drones launched by Russia posed a potential threat to NATO territory during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Uedem alerted two F-35s of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The jets, which were recently stationed in Poland, took off immediately.

Mission against the Shahed drones

Had the unmanned aircraft crossed an Alliance border, they would have been intercepted and destroyed if necessary – that was the aim of the mission. In the end, however, the use of weapons proved unnecessary.

Citing operational security, the Dutch Ministry of Defence gave no further details about the mission.

Since last Sunday, the Dutch F-35s have been protecting NATO airspace over Eastern Europe for three months, together with aircraft of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. The range of tasks is broad: it extends from deterring Russia to ensuring that military materiel supplied to Ukraine by NATO states safely reaches its destination. The jets never leave the NATO treaty area.

The core tasks also include Quick Reaction Alert (QRA): the aircraft are on standby around the clock so that unauthorised air movements in the airspace can be responded to immediately.