The Polish Ministry of Defense will allow its Air Force to shoot down aircraft allegedly flying from Russia within Polish airspace, Deputy Head of the Polish Ministry of Defense Cesary Tomchik announced on September 28.
“In the coming days, we will change procedures for fighter jet and helicopter use, replacing standard peacetime visual identification with so-called positive identification,” Tomchik said.
According to Tomchik, operational commanders will determine whether to engage foreign aircraft based on radar data or other system inputs, though visual identification remains optional. He noted that the decision-making authority rests with Armed Forces Commander Ireneusz Nowak.
The deputy head linked this policy shift to “emerging threats to national security” and stated that criteria for shootdowns include “information from the Ukrainian side.”
