New Polish Air Force procedures for shooting down Russian aircraft

The increase in Russian incursions into Polish airspace will be met with a forceful response from Poland.

The incursion of a Russian military helicopter into Poland and the Polish response
Poland points out that Russian drones ‘repeatedly’ violated Polish airspace

Recent Russian incursions into Polish airspace

A few days ago, we reviewed recent incursions by Russian aircraft into Poland. The most recent one was carried out by a Russian Mil Mi-8 military helicopter, which penetrated Polish airspace to a maximum depth of about 300 meters and remained there for 42 seconds north of the town of Braniewo, near the southwestern corner of the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. However, the most serious incident was the discovery of a Russian drone packed with explosives on Polish soil—an event that took place near Jarosławiec on September 14.

Polish government announces new procedures to counter foreign aircraft

Yesterday, Poland's Deputy Minister of National Defence, Cezary Tomczyk, made an announcement regarding those Russian incursions:

"Poland is modifying its air force procedures for engaging foreign aircraft. These are the conclusions reached in recent weeks by the Operational Commander, General Ireneusz Nowak. This measure is a response to the growing threat from Russia, lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, and the emergence of new air-attack capabilities—specifically combat drones and cruise missiles, which have very short reaction times."

The Polish Deputy Minister of Defence explained that the procedural change would be simple: "We are moving away from the requirement that visual identification (VID) is a mandatory prerequisite for opening fire. We want so-called positive identification (PID) to suffice. This is a crucial distinction. 'Positive identification' must be based on a combination of data points that, together, provide a sufficiently high degree of certainty to determine exactly what the target is."

Intruders may be shot down without requiring visual identification

Tomczyk explained the factors that will be considered in determining whether an aircraft can be shot down without requiring visual identification: "This could include the direction from which the object crossed the border, the absence of a valid IFF response, the correlation of the same target across different radars, and its speed, altitude, trajectory, or flight parameters characteristic of a cruise missile or a drone." It is worth noting that IFF systems allow fighter jets to distinguish whether a detected military aircraft is friendly or hostile.

The deputy minister acknowledges that this shift is complex: "We are in peacetime. In wartime, the situation is different. An object classified as hostile can be engaged from many kilometers away without the need for direct visual confirmation by an aircraft. That is why modern radars, command systems, and beyond-visual-range weapons exist. But even in wartime, the rule is: 'anything that isn't ours can be shot down.' Target identification remains crucial. In peacetime, its importance is even greater."

Poland to designate a "no-fly zone"

Tomczyk notes that all types of civil aircraft, as well as military aircraft from allied nations, operate within Polish airspace: "Transponder failures, loss of communication, satellite navigation system outages, or other emergencies can occur. These rules must also protect our pilots. A Polish or allied aircraft might find itself in an unusual location—even near a border—due to a malfunction, a loss of communication, or a navigation failure. Therefore, a lack of IFF response or an unusual flight path does not automatically mean the object is hostile. It is the combination of all this data that constitutes positive identification. The second element is proper airspace management. If we want to eliminate the requirement for visual identification, we must minimize the risk of error. This is achieved by designating a no-fly zone and regulating the movement of both our military aircraft and civil aircraft."

The deputy minister adds: "The mere presence of an object in that zone does not automatically trigger a decision to open fire. It is just one element of the overall situation. This is precisely the essence of this change: not less identification, but a different method of carrying it out—one that is faster and based on data from multiple sources- This is also important because the air defense system is not limited to fighter jets. A target is detected by sensors, the data is cross-referenced, the target is identified, and then the means to effectively engage it are selected. In a properly prepared zone, this could include ground-based air defense systems: Patriot, Poprad, or Osa. If the target breaches this layer, the remaining option is the air force."

"We need to detect threats earlier, possess more information, and make decisions faster. However, weapons should only be used when target identification warrants it. New challenges demand change. As I have already said, the Polish Army is aware of the situation and has the capability to act," concludes the deputy minister—delivering a message that serves as a prime example of how to communicate highly precise, comprehensive technical information to the public regarding a complex issue.

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Main photo: 31 Baza Lotnictwa Taktycznego Poznań-Krzesiny.