British troops thanked for defending Polish airspace as successful air defence deployment concludes

British personnel have been thanked for their work in supporting the defence of Poland’s airspace, as the UK’s Sky Sabre air defence deployment comes to an end.

Initially planned as a six-month deployment in 2022, the operation has been extended four times, playing an important role in boosting NATO’s eastern flank and strengthening the alliance’s security in light of Russian aggression in the region, and in close co-ordination with Polish and other allied forces.

Sky Sabre will be reconstituted in the UK, ensuring that the UK Armed Forces has flexibility on operational requirements in future, including training more personnel on the system.

UK and Polish troops marked the end of the two-year deployment of the Sky Sabre system at a ceremony in Rzeszów, Poland, last week.

The conclusion of the deployment was marked by a joint visit from Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard MP and Polish Secretary of State Paweł Zalewski. The Minister for the Armed Forces thanked British service personnel who have been deployed alongside Sky Sabre over the previous 2 years.

Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard MP said:

“This operation has been a huge success. The Sky Sabre system played an important role in defending Poland’s airspace. Our outstanding Armed Forces personnel keep us secure at home and strong abroad and I’d like to thank them for their professionalism and hard work during this extended deployment, I’d also like to welcome them home for some well-deserved rest with their loved ones over the Christmas period.

“The UK remains unshakeable in its commitment to defending our NATO allies, and we will continue to work closely with our Polish Allies, including through a deployment of RAF Typhoons next year. We continue to work with our Polish friends to deliver the NAREW programme.”

The NAREW programme is a collaboration between UK firm MBDA and Polish defence company PGZ, which will see Poland receive more than 1,000 Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles – Extended Range (CAMM-ER) and over 100 iLaunchers.

These will boost Poland’s ability to defend itself against modern threats, including cruise missiles and fighter jets, at ranges of more than 40 kilometres.

The programme is also a boost to the UK’s defence industry, creating growth and opportunities back home and reaffirming our commitment to defending Poland and NATO’s eastern flank.

Since Sky Sabre’s initial deployment in 2022, Poland have continued to develop their long-term defence projects alongside the UK and our allies, which includes a new £4bn defence agreement with the UK defence industry, that will protect their airspace and NATO’s eastern flank for years to come.

The UK will continue to play an active role in defending Poland’s air space. Next year, the Royal Air Force will take part in a NATO Air Policing mission in Poland, deterring our adversaries above NATO’s eastern flank.

The UK-led DIAMOND initiative, which Poland is part of, will improve NATO’s integrated air and missile defence by ensuring that the different air defence systems across the Alliance operate better and more jointly across Europe. The UK launched this initiative at the October meeting of NATO Defence Ministers this year.

In October, the Army deployed specialist engineers to support the Polish authorities deal with devastating floods that hit the country. The British Army also has more than 100 permanently deployed troops in country, as part of the UK’s enhance forward presence.