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Summary for: Czech Gripens scramble overnight to patrol Polish skies for NATOCzech Gripen fighter jets were scrambled overnight to patrol Polish airspace under orders from NATO, the Czech Army said Wednesday. The aircraft did not encounter a threat requiring intervention and have returned to their base in Pardubice.
The jets conducted a Combat Air Patrol, a defensive mission during which aircraft monitor designated airspace and remain ready to respond to potential threats.
It was the second such deployment within a week as NATO strengthens protection of its eastern flank following repeated Russian drone attacks near the Polish border.
Ready ‘day or night’
“We are part of NATO’s integrated air and missile defense system,” the Czech Army said on X. “When the order comes, we are ready, day or night.”
The military did not provide details about the specific threat that prompted the latest mission. After completing the patrol, the Gripens landed safely in Pardubice without using force.
ALPHA SCRAMBLE. NATO v noci aktivovalo naÅ¡e Gripeny. BÄ›hem nÄ›kolika minut byly ve vzduchu a mÃÅ™ily nad Polsko. 🇨🇿🇵🇱
— Armáda ÄŒR (@ArmadaCR) September 24, 2026
Ozbrojené letouny JAS-39 Gripen vzlétly z Pardubic a nad Polskem zajišťovaly tzv. Combat Air Patrol. Jinými slovy, pomáhaly střežit nebe nad Polskem, připraveny… pic.twitter.com/HH6xfaOitb
Czech fighter jets carried out a similar operation last Friday due to drones operating over western Ukraine. The aircraft monitored NATO airspace near Poland’s eastern border before Polish jets took over the mission.
No intervention was required during that patrol either.
Russian attacks approach Polish border
Russia has conducted several attacks close to Poland in recent days. Last Thursday, a jet-powered drone crashed or was shot down near Yahodyn in western Ukraine, around 4 kilometers from the Polish border.
Days earlier, Ukrainian authorities said a Russian drone struck the locomotive of a passenger train traveling toward Warsaw. That incident occurred at Yahodyn station, approximately 2 kilometers from Poland.
Another drone reportedly hit a gas station less than a kilometer from the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing.
NATO has been reinforcing defenses along its eastern flank in response to Russian drone activity and incursions into allied airspace.
Czechia is contributing aircraft and ground units to those efforts. A Czech helicopter detachment has been stationed in Poland since September following previous Russian drone incursions into Polish territory.
Its mission includes protecting Polish airspace and responding to low-flying targets. Czech soldiers are also serving with NATO’s reinforced deployments in Slovakia and Lithuania.
The Czech Air Force operates 14 leased JAS-39 Gripen aircraft, which are regularly used for NATO air-policing missions and the protection of Czech airspace.
