“The US Air Force is sending six F-22 Raptor fighter jets to Poland to support NATO air cover missions”, announces the US Air Force European Command. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence Mariusz Blaszczak confirmed that the fighters will arrive in Poland early next week.

“Their purpose will include patrolling, cooperation with the Polish air force, exercises between Polish and American aviators and the air forces of allied countries”, said Deputy Prime Minister Błaszczak.

Six Raptors from the 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron stationed at the Elmendorf-Richardson base in Alaska arrived at the RAF base in Lakenheath, England, on the evening of Tuesday 26 July.

Ultimately, they will be destined for the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask, near Łódź. They are to support the NATO ‘air cover’ mission and enhance deterrence against potential Russian threats. They will provide cover from the Baltic to the Black Sea, giving NATO allies better protection of the Alliance’s territory, population and forces against air and missile threats, says the US Air Force European Command.

The F-22 Raptor is considered the first fifth-generation fighter. Manufactured with stealth technology, this aircraft can perform both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.

The plan to strengthen NATO’s defences in Europe emerged after the Madrid summit in June, where leaders developed a new strategy for NATO’s ‘deterrence through reinforcement’ model.

This follows the North Atlantic Pact’s adoption of a new strategic concept, which defines Russia as the most important direct source of threat and does not exclude the possibility of its attack on one of the Alliance’s member states.

Adrian Andrzejewski