Poland to ease rules for shooting down drones, missiles entering from Russia
Visual identification of targets by pilots would not longer be required, Poland's Deputy Defense Minister said.
Poland is set to modify its regulations for military aircraft and helicopters to engage objects entering from Russian territory, Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk announced on September 28. Currently, Polish pilots must visually confirm a target before firing in response. The new rules will replace this visual identification with positive identification, meaning radar readings alone will suffice for authorization to shoot down the object, according to Polish broadcaster RMF24.
This change would enable Polish forces to react more swiftly to missiles or drones entering Polish airspace from Russia. Tomczyk noted that these procedures have not been utilized previously due to their association with wartime or martial law situations. However, given the current threat posed by daily drone entries into Polish territory, these changes are deemed necessary for both pilots' safety and national security.
Tensions between Russia and Poland have escalated, with Russia repeatedly violating Polish airspace. On September 23, a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter briefly entered Polish airspace near the northern border, before being tracked by military radar systems and met with scrambled fighter jets and standby ground forces. On September 16, Poland took preventive measures by scrambling fighter jets and temporarily shutting down certain airports in response to Russian drone attacks on Ukraine, showcasing the ongoing readiness to protect Polish airspace.
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