Joint exercises bolster NATO's defense readiness and unity
"Joint allied exercises strengthen cooperation and readiness to defend every inch of allied territory," reads the Polish Armed Forces General Staff's profile on X in response to the photos published by NATO. The photos depict actions of Polish F-16 fighters in cooperation with an AWACS allied aircraft.
NATO states in a message on X that allies from Poland and Romania are training together with the NATO AWACS aircraft during a mission, "enhancing interoperability and integration of allies." According to NATO, the armies are combining their advanced capabilities, demonstrating collective readiness and commitment to maintaining territorial integrity.
It's worth noting that these are not the only exercises where Polish forces are training with their NATO allies. For instance, there's an Air Policing mission in Malbork, involving forces from the United Kingdom and Sweden, where allied Typhoon and Gripen fighters are stationed.
Reconnaissance Boeing E-3A Sentry
To clarify, in the context of AWACS reconnaissance aircraft (the so-called flying radar), NATO has the Boeing E-3A Sentry aircraft, visible in the pictures published during joint exercises with Polish fighters.
The Boeing E-3A usually operates at an altitude of 10,000 metres. At this altitude, one aircraft can continuously monitor airspace within a radius exceeding 400 kilometres, allowing the detection of even very low-flying aircraft. According to official NATO data, the area within the range of its radars is about 310,000 square kilometres.
The length of this aircraft reaches nearly 47 metres with a wingspan exceeding 44 metres. The maximum takeoff weight of the Boeing E-3A Sentry is just under 148,000 kilograms, while the cruising speed is about 600 km/h. The range of this "flying radar" is approximately 9,300 kilometres.
