NATO exercises assess allied readiness and enhance cooperation
"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. They show Polish F-16 fighters working 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." As NATO adds, 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 in which the Poles are training with their NATO allies. For example, there's an Air Policing mission in Malbork, where forces from the United Kingdom and Sweden are participating – that's where the allied Typhoon and Gripen fighters are stationed.
Reconnaissance Boeing E-3A Sentry
To explain further, in the context of the AWACS reconnaissance aircraft (the so-called flying radar), NATO operates the Boeing E-3A Sentry aircraft – visible in the picture published during joint exercises with Polish fighters.
The Boeing E-3A typically 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 covered by its radars is 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.
