Politics Germany sends fighter jets to Poland for NATO protection flights
Germany will station Eurofighters at the Polish military airfield in Malbork to protect NATO's eastern flank and invest ten billion euros in drones. This was announced by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on the fringes of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
15.10.2025, 14:04
SDA
Commenting on the new commitment in Poland, Pistorius said: "We will contribute to the protection of the eastern flank with patrol flights." This will make us "even more active and even more present and visible on the Alliance's eastern border".
With regard to the billions being invested in drones, he said that this should take place in the coming years. It was about all types of drones, including attack drones. The aggressive behavior of Russian President Vladimir Putin shows that we must not let up for a moment in strengthening our defense readiness.
NATO deployment to strengthen deterrence
The additional German commitment to protecting the eastern flank will reportedly take place as part of the NATO "Eastern Sentry" mission. It was launched in September in response to suspected deliberate airspace violations by Russian kamikaze drones in Poland. The initiative will primarily mobilize additional surveillance and air defence capacities.
Germany has so far provided four Eurofighter fighter jets, for example, which can take part in armed protection flights over Poland from the airbase in Rostock-Laage. The new deployment in Poland is scheduled to begin in December and last until at least March next year. In addition to Germany, France, Great Britain, the Czech Republic and Denmark are also involved in "Eastern Sentry".
