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Sweden to send Gripen fighter jets to help patrol Polish air space

TT/Becky Waterton
TT/Becky Waterton - news@thelocal.se
Sweden to send Gripen fighter jets to help patrol Polish air space
A Swedish Air Force JAS Gripen jet takes off from Orland Air Base during the The Arctic Fighter Meet exercises occurring from August 21 to 25 in Brekstad, located west of Trondheim, Norway, on August 23, 2023. Photo: Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)

The Swedish government announced on Thursday that it would send Gripen fighter jets to help patrol Polish air space as part of Nato operations.

The government said that six to eight Gripen jets, alongside pilots and service personnel will be based in Poland in April and May.

"This is the first time Swedish fighter jets participate in air policing from another ally's territory," defence minister Pål Jonson said.

The move will also mark the first time Swedish forces have participated in Nato exercises since it joined the alliance in 2024.

"The aim is to deter or in the worst case defend an attack if the alliance were to be subject to an armed attack," he added.

The jets will come from the F21 flotilla based in Luleå, with a total of 110 personnel, not including pilots, expected to relocate for the exercise.

The government also wants up to eight Gripen jets in Poland over the summer, from June to August, in order to protect Nato's NSATU activities in Poland, which organise weapon deliveries to Ukraine, submitting a proposal to parliament on March 6th.

Parliament has already approved the "air policing" exercise mentioned above.

"This protection is central for ensuring military and civil support to Ukraine," foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said.

"By participating in this operation we will contribute to the delivery of aid to Ukraine."

According to the government, the new exercise is not due to any new threat or fear that the US may withdraw military support.

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"It's a rotating task which is shared between different countries, and we've been asked to cover a specific period of time," Malmer Stenergard said.

Sweden's own defence will not be weakened once the jets are moved to Poland, defence minister Jonson said.

"We've checked this with the Armed Forces and they have a positive view of this exercise," he said. "It contributes to Swedish security and also strengthens the interoperability of the Swedish Air Force.

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