Sweden will join a NATO air mission for the first time. Gripen fighters will be deployed in Poland

Sweden will join NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing mission for the first time. For this purpose, its JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets will be deployed in Poland.

This was reported on the Swedish Armed Forces website.

From the air base in Poland, up to eight Swedish combat aircraft will patrol Allied airspace in the northern area of the Alliance in April and May and contribute to NATO’s defense and deterrence.

Along with the aircraft and pilots, technical personnel will also arrive in Poland to maintain the JAS 39 Gripen on the ground.

It is noted that this is the first time Swedish fighter jets will be based abroad to participate in an enhanced NATO air policing mission called Enhanced Air Policing. It was introduced after Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea in 2014.

The Swedish Jas 39 Gripen will be subordinated to NATO’s Joint Air Operations Center in Ouedem, Germany.

In addition to the mission to patrol the Alliance’s northern surveillance area, Sweden is also proposing that Swedish forces protect a logistics center for military and civilian support to Ukraine located in southeastern Poland.

The commitment includes approximately 110 ground personnel, primarily from the Norrbottens flygflottilj, but also augmented by personnel from other units of the Swedish Air Force.

Strengthening the capabilities of Swedish aviation

Militarnyi previously reported that Sweden would purchase and integrate Taurus cruise missiles on its Gripen fighter jets by 2028. All this is part of strengthening the strike capabilities of its armed forces.

The Swedish Ministry of Defense has also ordered 227-kilogram Mk.82 aircraft bombs from Rheinmetall for $9,170,000. This will replenish the stock of bombs in the Swedish Air Force.

In addition, the Swedish Armed Forces deployed a mechanized battalion for the first time as part of NATO’s ground operation in Latvia.

The battalion of 600 troops arrived in Riga on January 18, 2025, and was deployed as part of NATO’s permanent forces in the Baltic country.