Sweden to send Gripen jets to protect Polish skies
Fighter jets Gripen will protect Polish skies from the Polish territory as part of NATO's Air Policing mission, the Swedish government has announced.
Sweden's Defence Minister Pal Jonson said at a press conference on Thursday that the country's fighters would for the first time patrol the airspace of a NATO ally from its own territory.
The planes will offer protection or - in the worst case - defence to its ally, Jonson said, adding that they will be deployed from April to May.
"We propose that Sweden contribute a maximum of eight JAS Gripen with associated personnel, including combat command and support units," Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told a press conference on Thursday.
"In addition, the government proposes that Sweden contribute air and maritime surveillance capabilities and airborne transport capabilities," she added.
So far, Sweden took part in NATO patrols in the Baltic Sea region, but its jets were stationed in Sweden. (PAP)
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