Poland implements new response rules for air defence amid Russian attacks on Ukraine

Poland enacts simplified procedures for detecting and shooting down foreign aerial assets starting 1 October. The rules are being changed to protect Polish airspace during Russian attacks on Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda, citing Polish media outlet Gazeta Prawna

Details: Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced the full readiness of the new, simplified rules for detecting and shooting down foreign objects in Polish airspace, which take effect on 1 October.

"First of October is always a good time to implement these procedures," Kosiniak-Kamysz noted.

On 28 September, Cezary Tomczyk, Deputy Minister of National Defence, spoke about the planned changes to the rules for Polish pilots participating in missions to protect Polish airspace during Russian airstrikes in Ukraine.

Tomczyk explained that these changes primarily concern modifying the rules for identifying foreign aerial assets. Peacetime procedures requiring visual identification of a target before shooting it down are to be replaced by dynamic sensor-based identification.

Following the procedural changes, a pilot or their commander will be able to make the decision to shoot down an unidentified object based on information gathered by radars and other systems or on information provided by the Ukrainian side, which regularly faces attacks from Russian drones and missiles.

Background:

• On 28 September Cezary Tomczyk reported that Poland would change the rules for shooting down aerial assets that violate its airspace.
• Earlier, it was reported that starting Friday 25 September, the Polish government will begin to distribute guidance on how to respond to air attacks which explains the basic rules for finding a safe place – indoor or outdoor – in the event of threats from the air.

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