The first ‘kills’ of Dutch F-35s: a swarm of Russian drones

The Dutch F-35s came into action within minutes. A swarm of Russian ‘shaheds’ (suicide drones) flew into Polish airspace from Belarus. The Russian drones were propeller-driven and flew at a maximum speed of 400 kilometers per hour.

It was a geese hunt for the Dutch F-35 fighter jets. Several Russian drones were brought down by the Dutch. According to outgoing Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans (VVD), it was clear that the Russian drones were a “serious violation” of Polish airspace. “This cannot remain without an answer,” said Brekelmans during a short meeting with the press in The Hague.

The use of the Dutch F-35s last Tuesday night is unique in many ways. Dutch combat pilots have thrown thousands of bombs on Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria in the last quarter of a century, but the downing of an enemy aircraft in the air is a rare event.

Kosovo War

The last time that happened in 1999, when NATO had launched an air offensive against Yugoslavia because of the Kosovo war. Peter Tankink (nickname: ‘wobble’) flew on March 24, 1999 top cover To protect other NATO bombing missions. When Tankink saw a Serbian MIG-29 on his radar screen, he launched a Radar-led rocket from his F-16.

“After half a minute I saw a vague flash of light and a second or what afterwards I saw burning wreck pieces fall down,” remembered Tankink later. The Serbian pilot managed to bring himself to safety through his shooting chair.

The Netherlands has been supplying combat aircraft for the protection of the East Flank of the NATO area for some time

A little over a quarter of a century later, it was Tankink’s successors who have their first so -called kills Scored – albeit against unmanned drones. Since September, the Dutch Air Force has stationed four F-35 fighting aircraft in Poland-the precise location keeps the Ministry of Defense secret. After it became clear that a large number of Russian drones were on the way to Polish airspace, the Dutch F-35s were quickly sent into the air to shoot the drones.

According to Minister Brekelmans, the Dutch F-35 pilots were scanning for new violations all night. “Our pilots are only now on the ground,” he said on Wednesday afternoon.

Hardly a mistake

The Netherlands has been supplying combat aircraft for the protection of the east flank of the NATO area for some time. At the beginning of this year, Dutch F-35s still operated from Estonia. In addition, the pilots were used several times to intercept Russian military aircraft that were on the way over the Baltic Sea to the Russian exclave Kaliningrad. With this ‘Air Policing’, Russian planes are intercepted, but not necessarily approached aggressively.

In recent months, however, Poland has had to deal with Russian drones several times who – probably by accident – crashed in Poland. Given the large number of Russian drones that this time violated the Polish airspace, there can hardly be a mistake.

Sending more advanced – stealth – Combat aircraft is one of the possible answers. During missions from the Dutch F-35s in Estonia, the detachment commander told, the F-35 kites saw how the Russians could get their radars, but could not get ‘lock’ on the F-35s and therefore could not perceive them.

Zoom in

In South-East Poland, on the border with Ukraine, the Dutch seem a little less wary of Russian anti-aircraft weather. From Polish and Ukrainian sources, the image emerges that the Russian Shaheds have been brought down with AIM-9 ‘Sidewinder’ missiles for the short distance. Such rockets do not fit in the F-35 ‘Bomb Bay’ (the bomb hatch) but must be hung under the wings. Bad for the ‘stealth’, the invisibility on the radar, but very useful for shooting Russian drones. Last week the F-35s were deployed because Russian drones approached Polish airspace.

The Dutch F-35s, said Brekelmans on Wednesday morning, “did what they were meant for.”

To share





Mail the editors