This happened in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. Then there was a Russian attack with so-called Shahed drones on western Ukraine, not far from the border with Poland. The Dutch were called or ‘scrambled’, as it is officially called.
Four Dutch F-35s are stationed in Poland. They are officially covered by NATO. Certainly one of the four aircraft comes from Leeuwarden Air Base, the other from Volkel Air Base. The aircraft must monitor the airspace and take action as soon as a threat occurs for the NATO territory.
The two F-35s that came into action have “not used the weapons” in the airspace “, a spokesperson for Defense in The Hague said. They have not removed the Russian drones from the air. Possibly this happened elsewhere, in Ukraine, already happened by others. The Dutch may only fly above NATO.
The Dutch F-35s are on a base in southeastern Poland from 1 September to 1 December. The Netherlands works there with Norway. Both countries also protect military equipment intended for Ukraine, Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said earlier.
The two countries in particular protect the logistics center of NATO in Poland where, among other things, training sessions are given to Ukrainians. The focus of the mission is on defending Russian cruise missiles and drones.