France has deployed three Rafale fighter jets to Poland to bolster the protection of Polish airspace and NATO's eastern flank, as announced by French President Emmanuel Macron in a statement on September 11th, 2025. Macron confirmed this commitment, made yesterday with the Polish Prime Minister, stating "The security of the European continent is our absolute priority. We will not give in to the growing intimidation of Russia." Macron also indicated he had been in communication with the Secretary General of NATO and the British Prime Minister regarding the situation, underscoring the collaborative effort among allies to address increased Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace. The deployment follows previous reports of multiple Russian drones entering Polish airspace, with some intercepted by Dutch F-35A Lightning IIs and others crashing under unexplained circumstances. NATO has already doubled its fighter presence over Poland in response to these events. In a separate development, Ukraine announced it will train Polish forces on counter-drone warfare within Ukraine, a move that follows recent drone incursions into Polish airspace. These security concerns have also led Latvia to close its airspace along its borders with Russia and Belarus as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reported on September 11th, 2025, between 4:32 PM and 5:18 PM UTC, that he held meetings with defense companies at the DSEI exhibition concerning air defense systems and joint production agreements, including with KNDS Deutschland for Gepard systems and Kongsberg for NASAMS. Earlier in the day, Poland had inquired with German defense contractor Rheinmetall about a potential purchase of Skyranger self-propelled anti-aircraft guns for its army. These actions reflect heightened security awareness in the region, with reports indicating that at least five Russian drones entered Polish airspace on Wednesday, with two intercepted and three crashing. The Polish Armed Forces stated that for the first time in NATO's history, a drone was shot down over the Alliance, signifying a commitment to defending NATO's eastern flank.
