Fighters from two former enemy countries fly together over the Hel Peninsula in Poland

NATO is a defensive alliance that has brought together a large number of countries to jointly protect their security.

The first flights of Polish pilots on F-35A Husarz fighters acquired by Poland
Dispersed operations, the advantage of the Swedish Gripen against an attack on its bases

The Atlantic Alliance was born in 1949, at the dawn of the Cold War, as a dam for democratic countries against the Soviet Union, whose legal successor, the Russian Federation, is today the greatest threat to peace and security in Europe. This threat has even been directed at traditionally neutral countries, such as Finland and Sweden, leading them to request NATO membership in 2022.

Sweden's accession to the Alliance led to a historic moment in March: For the first time, Swedish fighters, specifically four JAS-39C Gripens, joined NATO's Baltic Air Policing (BAP) missions on March 26 of this year. These fighters are deployed at Malbork Air Base in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland. This Tuesday, Polska Zbrojna published a video showing two Polish F-16s and two MiG-29s and two Swedish JAS-39C Gripens flying together over the Hel Peninsula in northern Poland:

In other countries, many will not realize the historical significance of this joint flight. Despite being two countries with an important common past (the Jagiellonian dynasty of the Kingdom of Poland had Swedish ancestry and between 1592 and 1599 both countries were united in the Polish-Swedish Union, under the reign of Sigismund III Vasa), between the 17th and 18th centuries Sweden invaded Poland five times, amidst a great rivalry between the Swedish Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for control of the Baltic Sea, and also because of the religious issue (Sweden was a Protestant kingdom and Poland a Catholic kingdom).

One of these attacks, known in Poland as the "Potop Szwedzki" (Swedish Flood, 1655-1660), was one of the worst invasions suffered by Poland throughout its history, comparable only to the German-Soviet invasion of 1939. Poland was partially devastated, losing 40% of its population and this war marked the beginning of the decline of the once powerful Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The open wound between both countries was of such magnitude that in 2005 Sweden officially apologized to Poland for the damage caused, in a statement by the Swedish ambassador to the Polish sanctuary of Jasna Gora, which was besieged by the Swedes without being able to conquer it.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, relations between Sweden and Poland improved due to a common enemy: Russia. The Polish uprising against the Russian Empire in 1863 was greatly supported by the Swedish people, and after Poland's independence in 1918, economic relations between Sweden and Poland were very smooth. Today, the two countries maintain a good relationship, as was evident in 2018 when Poland sent 40 fire trucks to Sweden, which received a hero's welcome from the Swedes amid a terrible wave of forest fires.

Poland and Sweden had a historical enmity comparable to that of Spain and England, but today both Baltic countries are part of the same alliance against a common threat.

In these screenshots from the Polska Zbrojna video, we can see the aircraft participating in this joint flight. The Polish MiG-29s, 54 and 59, are from the 41st Tactical Aviation Squadron, which is based in Malbork, the same location where the Swedish Gripens are deployed. These MiG-29s did not carry missiles under their wings on this flight.

The Polish F-16s, 4047 and 4052, are from the 31st Tactical Air Base in Krzesiny, outside Poznań. These aircraft are wearing a livery commemorating the centenary of their unit, which inherited the 2nd and 4th Wielkopolskie Squadrons during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921. During this flight, these F-16s were carrying three AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles and one AIM-9 Sidenwinder short-range air-to-air missile.

Finally, the JAS-39C Gripens, the 247th and 254th, are from the Blekinge Wing (F 17), based at Ronneby in southern Sweden. They are seen armed with MBDA Meteor long-range air-to-air missiles under the wings and AIM-2000 IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missiles on the wing supports.

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Images: Polska Zbrojna.