Sweden has officially launched its first forward deployment under NATO’s enhanced Air Policing mission, marking a significant milestone for the alliance’s newest member.
On March 26, 2025, six Swedish Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets landed at the 22nd Air Base in Malbork, Poland. This is the first instance of Sweden deploying combat aircraft to another NATO ally since its official accession to the alliance on March 7, 2024.
Operated by the Norrbotten Wing Fighter Squadron, the Gripens will function under NATO Allied Air Command and the Combined Air Operations Centre. They will operate alongside the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons from the II Army Cooperation (AC) Squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth.
The Gripen jets will remain stationed at Malbork throughout their deployment, carrying out Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) missions to monitor and protect Allied airspace.
6 Jas 39 Gripen of the 🇸🇪 Air Force, landed at Malbork Air base 🇵🇱, as they prepare to take on #NATO’s enhanced Air Policing Mission for the first time since their accession
NATO Air Policing is a peacetime collective defence mission
Read more: https://t.co/UOgRsXiHJQ pic.twitter.com/brNtMBiuhw
— NATO Air Command (@NATO_AIRCOM) March 28, 2025
“Putin has made NATO bigger and more integrated.”
During a ceremony held at Malbork Air Base on April 1, 2025, Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and British Minister of State Lord Vernon Coaker highlighted the mission’s strategic importance, noting its role in enhancing NATO’s eastern flank security and regional stability.
“Sweden joined NATO one year and twenty-three days ago, and by joining NATO, Sweden is safer and NATO is stronger,” Jonson commented. “Our mission was not just to join NATO to get security, but also to provide security.”
Sweden previously supported NATO’s Air Policing operations exclusively from its own territory. This deployment marks a substantial evolution in Sweden’s operational integration within the Alliance, affirming its commitment to NATO’s principles of collective defense and deterrence.
Lord Vernon Coaker emphasized Europe’s unified stance in enhancing continental security.
“Today, we stand together on Polish soil […] with one clear message: Europe is stepping up for European security,” the British Minister of State stated. “Instead of weakening NATO, Putin has made NATO bigger and more integrated, notably through the vital additions of Sweden and Finland.”
In 2014, NATO launched its enhanced Air Policing mission in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. This mission aims to strengthen airspace security along NATO’s eastern borders. It complements the Baltic Air Policing mission, which has been active since 2004 to protect the Baltic states from aerial threats and to provide crucial support during air emergencies, as these countries do not possess their own airborne defense capabilities.
