"The United Kingdom has said two Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft joined a 12-hour NATO patrol earlier this week near Russia's border, following a series of Russian drone and aircraft incursions into alliance airspace. This was a substantial joint mission with our US and NATO allies, Defence Minister John Healey said on Saturday, as concerns rise that Russia's war in Ukraine will spill over into Europe."
"Not only does this provide valuable intelligence to boost the operational awareness of our Armed Forces, but sends a powerful message of NATO unity to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and our adversaries, he added. The mission involved an RC-135 Rivet Joint surveillance jet and a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying from the Arctic region past Belarus and Ukraine, supported by a US Air Force KC-135 refuelling plane."
"Earlier this month, Warsaw deployed additional systems along its border with Ukraine which stretches about 530km (330 miles) after unidentified drones briefly entered Polish airspace. Poland temporarily closed part of its airspace southeast of Warsaw in late September during a major Russian assault across Ukraine. It was the second such incident this year, with Polish and NATO forces previously intercepting Russian drones that crossed the border marking their first direct military engagement with Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022."
NATO carried out a 12-hour patrol near Russia's border with two RAF aircraft joining US surveillance and refuelling assets, including an RC-135, a P-8A Poseidon and a KC-135. The mission aimed to gather intelligence, boost operational awareness and signal NATO unity to Russia. The operation followed incursions into NATO airspace by Russian drones and aircraft affecting Poland, Romania and Estonia. Poland and allies have reinforced air defences and deployed additional systems along the roughly 530 km Poland–Ukraine border after unidentified drones briefly entered Polish airspace, with temporary airspace closures and interceptions reported.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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