F-35 pilots in Poland shoot down Russian drones with €400,000 missiles - Bild
Photo: F-35 pilots in Poland shot down Russian drones with €400,000 missiles (Getty Images)
F-35 pilots used costly €400,000 missiles to shoot down Russian drones in Polish airspace, Bild reports.
According to the media outlet’s experts, deploying modern F-35 jets against cheap drones “makes no sense.” The fighter pilots targeted drones with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, each costing over €400,000, while Russian UAVs are worth only a few thousand euros.
A senior NATO officer noted that in the long term, there is no military sense in using F-35s against drones and that the alliance is therefore considering various options to counter Russian provocations.
Russian drones in Poland
On the night of September 10, Russia launched 19 attack drones into Polish territory, coming through Ukraine and Belarus. Polish air defenses managed to shoot down only four of them.
Poland also discovered debris from an unidentified missile and seven Russian drones, believed to be Gerbera UAVs. Moscow claimed it did not intend to strike Polish territory but did not explain how the drones ended up there.
Lithuania warned that such drone incursions into NATO territory could escalate, potentially involving the use of military force. Following consultations with allies over the Russian attack, NATO activated Article 4,allowing member states to discuss the situation in the North Atlantic Council.
According to Bloomberg, after the Russian drone raid, Poland requested NATO for additional air defense systems and protection against UAVs for the first time.
