Six Eurofighter Typhoon fighters and 200 British Air Force soldiers have been stationed in Malbork for over a month. As part of their NATO mission, they service there with the crews of six Gripens and the ground personnel of the Swedish Air Force. Alliances have already had to choice up aircraft to fly as an unidentified aircraft approached the air borders of the Alliance.
– Our mission is to guarantee enhanced airspace surveillance on behalf of NATO over east Europe and the Baltic Sea. Poles welcomed us very warmly and rapidly we started close cooperation. They supply us with excellent support, and the conditions of the Malborese base let us to execute our tasks effectively," said British squadron commander Nick Morrison-Smith after the first period of service at the 22nd Tactical Aviation Base in Malbork. RAF's typical (the UK Air Force) during the gathering with journalists explained that their presence in Poland is based on an operation under the code name ‘Chessman’, which forms part of the Natovian mission enhanced Air Police.
The thought of air law enforcement, which aims to guarantee the safety and safety of NATO airspace, dates back to the Cold War. On the another hand, the enhanced Air Police missions began after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The British component performing Operation "Chessman" consists of 200 2 squadron soldiers (No. II Army Co-operation Squadron), forming part of 140 Expeditional Air Wing (140 EAW). They flew to Malbork from Lossiemouth Base on the coast of northern Scotland. RAF pilots in the first period of service until 4 times they had to choice up on-call pairs of fighters to intercept and identify unknown machines that have proven to be Russian fighters and reconnaissance aircraft. Swedes who first participate in the eAP mission as full NATO members, besides They've already had 1 of those intercept flights.. They are held exclusively in national couples, which does not mean that allies do not have the chance to act together.
– This is simply a tripartite cooperation, which involves not only providing us with a base or exchanging experiences. Joint flights and trainings constitute another component of building interoperability with allies," said Colonel Jacek Goryszewski, the spokesperson for the Operational Command of the RSZ before the launch of the mission.
At the time of the gathering with journalists, couples of Typhoons, Gripens and MiG-29s took off from Malbork Airport. But allied cooperation is not limited to the actions of the British, Poles and Swedes. Morrison-Smith mentioned that in fresh weeks RAF pilots They besides met French Rafale fighters in the air, German carrier A400M or Dutch tanker A330 MRTT. “Not only can we support them, but we can learn from them and train together,” said the commander of the British squadron, calling the allies’ actions a model of professionalism.
Colonel Anders Gustafsson spoke in a akin tone. “Our cooperation with the British and Poles is perfect. We are very happy to be here," said the commander the Swedish component of the eAP mission. And British wing commander Chris Jacob added: – Poland is fantastic and very hospitable to the British branch. Malbork is simply a large place. I haven't been to the castle yet, but I have it on my list of attractions to pass.
According to the plan, the British-Swedish eAP mission in Poland is due to end in July 2025.
