Two Swedish Jas 39 Gripen conducted their first operational mission yesterday from their base in Poland, as part of NATO's enhanced incident readiness, Enhanced Air Policing. During the mission, a visual identification of a Russian reconnaissance aircraft of the IL-20 Coot type was carried out.

The identification took place in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, north of the Polish coast. The operation was led by NATO's Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem, Germany. The Swedish flight unit based in Poland also cooperated with the national incident readiness in Sweden.

For several weeks now, a Swedish fighter division from the Norrbotten Wing has been based in Malbork, Poland, together with the British Royal Air Force 140 Expeditionary Air Wing. It is the first time a Swedish fighter division is based abroad to conduct air surveillance operations under NATO command.

– We were in the right place at the right time to complete the task. We demonstrate that Sweden is a player that truly contributes to further strengthening NATO's air defense and protecting Polish airspace together with other allies. Now, for the first time, we have completed an operational task from a base abroad under NATO command, which is another milestone in the history of the Swedish Air Force, says Anders Gustafsson, head of the Swedish contingent in Poland.