FILE PHOTO: British Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons fly during a media day illustrating how NATO Air Policing safeguards the Allies' airspace in the northern and northeastern region of the Alliance, July 4, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) -British fighter jets have flown their first NATO air defence sortie over Poland as part of NATO's Eastern Sentry mission, the government said, aimed at strengthening the Western alliance's defences following a Russian drone incursion this month.
The mission, announced on Monday by the UK government in the immediate aftermath of the incursions into Polish airspace, sends "a clear signal: NATO airspace will be defended," defence minister John Healey said in a statement.
Two Royal Air Force Typhoons took off from a British military base in eastern England on Friday night to patrol Polish skies and deter and defend against aerial threats from Russia, including drones, the statement said, adding that they returned safely to the UK early Saturday morning.
The British government said it was a response to the "most significant violation" of NATO airspace by Russian President Putin to date since his illegal full-scale war in Ukraine.
UK SAYS IT REMAINS AGILE AND READY
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth, said the British jets joined allies along NATO's eastern flank, adding: "We remain agile, integrated, and ready to project airpower at range."
The UK government has promised to boost defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by April 2027, in a signal to U.S. President Donald Trump that Britain can help boost Europe's security. Trump has criticised European nations for not spending enough on defence and relying instead on the United States.
The UK mission over Poland also comes amid heightened tensions elsewhere in Europe, with NATO-member Estonia saying on Friday that three Russian military jets violated its airspace for 12 minutes in an "unprecedentedly brazen" incursion.
Healey condemned that on Friday, saying Russia's "latest reckless and dangerous activity is the third violation of NATO airspace in recent days."
Russia's Defence Ministry denied its jets violated Estonian airspace, saying they flew over neutral waters.
(Reporting by Muvija MEditing by Mark Potter)
