Key facts
- Poland will replace visual identification with radar readings for authorizing the shooting down of objects entering its airspace from Russia.
- The new procedures aim to allow Polish forces to respond faster to potential threats.
- A Russian Mi-8 helicopter briefly entered Polish airspace on September 23.
- Polish air defense systems are on round-the-clock watch.
- Operations at Lublin and Rzeszow-Jasionka airports were temporarily halted on September 16 due to Russian drone attacks on Ukraine.
Poland is preparing to update its military procedures to allow for the faster engagement of unidentified objects, such as drones and missiles, entering its airspace from Russia. Under the current peacetime rules, pilots must visually confirm a target before firing. The proposed change would permit the use of radar identification alone for authorization, a measure previously reserved for wartime. Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk stated that the daily threat of drones entering Polish territory necessitates these updated procedures for the security of the state and its pilots.