- WIADOMOŚCI
AWACS and Rivet Joint above Poland
On Wednesday, 16 September, two reconnaissance aircraft with different roles – a NATO-owned AWACS and a British Rivet Joint – operated over Poland. Although Alliance surveillance aircraft have been flying over Poland for some time (at various intervals), the simultaneous appearance of these two machines, coupled with the chosen mission direction, may be related to Russia’s increasing pressure on Europe.
British Rivet Joint patrolled the border
On Wednesday, 16 September, a British RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft appeared in Polish airspace. The machine took off from a base in Chania, Greece, from where, before entering Poland, it flew through the territories of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia. Polish Military Radar reported its appearance at 14:51.
The aircraft flew close to the eastern border, passing Ukraine and Belarus. At the latitude of Suwałki, it set a course for Lithuania, from where it reached Finland via Latvia and Estonia. From there, it headed towards Great Britain, where – having passed Sweden and Denmark – it landed at RAF Waddington.
The RC-135W Rivet Joint is an aircraft designed to intercept and analyse electronic and signals intelligence (including radar signals and radio communications). The purpose of the flight has not been made public. The most likely objective is an update of intelligence data on current Russian and Belarusian military activity on NATO’s eastern flank, as well as general observation of the electromagnetic environment in that direction.
AWACS over Poland
A Boeing E-3A Sentry AWACS – a technologically advanced airborne early warning and control aircraft – also operated over Poland. The NATO-owned AWACS took off from the base in Geilenkirchen, Germany. Polish Military Radar reported its appearance at 13:12.
The AWACS maintained a position on the border of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, and Mazowieckie voivodeships for some time. After completing the mission, it returned to its base in Germany.
The primary role of the AWACS aircraft is to track and detect aerial targets (both other aircraft and missiles) at very long distances. According to NATO documentation, the surveillance range when flying above 9.1 km can cover up to 312,000 square kilometres of space. The detection range for low-flying targets is between 400 and 520 kilometres, depending on the AWACS’s flight altitude.
Additionally, the aircraft coordinates the operational activities of ground and air forces, also supporting missile defence with the information obtained. The purpose of its operation yesterday remains unknown; however, it can be cautiously concluded that this is routine monitoring of Polish skies in connection with recent incidents – for example, the discovery of a Russian drone in Rusinowo.
The drone was found and recovered from the Baltic Sea by the Polish military. It was a Russian Gerbera UAV. It turned out that the device had a warhead, contrary to previous assessments. On Wednesday, the Military Police reported that soldiers had recovered, examined, and neutralised parts of a drone found on the beach that could have posed a threat.
