PRESS RELEASE : RAF Fighter jets deploy to Poland for joint exercises ahead of Warsaw Security Forum [October 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 1 October 2023.
Four RAF Typhoon jets have been deployed to Poland, to conduct exercises with aircraft from Spain, Poland, and Italy.
The deployment will provide an opportunity for RAF pilots to practice dogfighting against different types of aircraft, and develop tactics to exploit their weaknesses.
The Typhoons, which deployed to Poland today, will remain in Poland for two weeks and practice engaging targets beyond visual range, simulating various possible combat scenarios. They will be supported by a team of more than 50 RAF personnel during the deployment.
It is just one of many joint exercises conducted with Polish forces, including the UK’s permanent deployment of hundreds of troops in Poland as part of our NATO commitment under Operation CABRIT.
The activity comes ahead of UK Ministers attending the Warsaw Security Forum this week. Defence Minister James Heappey and FCDO ministers Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Lord Ahmad will all use the forum to stress the need to maintain support for Ukraine and keep up the pressure on Russia.
Earlier this year, the UK and Polish foreign secretaries and defence ministers signed a strategic partnership on foreign policy, security and defence – emphasising both countries’ commitment to European security and collective defence through NATO.
On Wednesday, James Heappey will visit RAF personnel deployed with the Typhoons, as well as troops deployed in eastern Poland who operate the Sky Sabre surface-to-air missile system, bolstering Poland’s air defences close to the border with Ukraine.
The Warsaw Security Forum is focused on transatlantic cooperation in response to common challenges, first organised in 2014, bringing together ministers and senior officials from across defence to provide a forum to discuss challenges facing Central and Eastern Europe, and the wider international community.
The UK is the Partner Nation of this year’s Warsaw Security forum and the British Embassy Warsaw has worked closely with the Polish government and conference organisers to design a programme that reflected the UK’s objectives and views, as outlined in the Integrated Review Refresh 2023 and the Defence Command Paper 2023.
