The F-35 stealth fighters that shot down Russian drones were just days into new front-line NATO patrols

The Dutch F-35 stealth fighter jets that helped shoot down Russian drones that breached allied airspace on Wednesday were only a few days into a new patrol mission along NATO’s front.

The Dutch defense ministry said that its F-35s took part in air defense operations after 19 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace during a large-scale attack against Ukraine.

“Dutch F-35s have intercepted Russian drones over Poland,” Ruben Brekelmans, the minister of defense for the Netherlands, said.

“Within the NATO framework, our F-35s make a significant contribution to the defence of our collective security. This is precisely what we stand ready to do. This is how we keep the escalating Russian threat at a distance,” he added.

Western officials said several drones were shot down, marking the latest instance of the Ukraine war spilling over into NATO territory.

The Netherlands deployed its fifth-generation F-35s to Poland in early September for a three-month mission with Norway, keeping the jets on high alert to guard NATO airspace and protect arms shipments bound for Ukraine.

The fighters, made by US defense giant Lockheed Martin, are equipped with advanced sensors, networked capabilities, and options for air-to-air combat and air-to-ground engagements.

“It is not the first time that Dutch F-35s have taken off in Poland for Russian projectiles that threatened the NATO treaty area,” said the Dutch defense ministry on Wednesday after the incident. It is, however, the first time that weapons have been used to engage those threats.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Polish F-16 fighter jets, an Italian airborne early warning and control aircraft, and an allied tanker plane also responded to the drone incursion, while Germany activated its US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile systems.

“I commend the pilots and all who contributed to this quick and skillful response,” Rutte told reporters.

The Dutch defense ministry did not say how many drones the F-35s shot down and which munitions they used.

Many Western officials and experts said Russia was probing NATO’s responses. UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey, for instance, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “testing us yet again.”

Russia said it had not planned to target NATO territory.

Rutte said that the NATO response was “very successful,” adding that it “showed that we are able to defend every inch of NATO territory, including, of course, its airspace.”

Nonetheless, the incident reminds NATO of the risks and challenges that it could face in the event of a more aggressive attack.

Russia’s heavy use of drones and missiles in Ukraine has highlighted NATO’s need for strong air defenses, and that need has, in turn, exposed gaps in alliance capabilities.

Rutte has acknowledged the shortfall, pledging a fivefold increase in air defenses as part of alliance spending plans.

Western defense experts and officials argue that NATO’s reliance on high-end weapons like F-35 stealth jets and Patriot missile batteries would likely be unsustainable in a high-intensity drone fight. A single Patriot interceptor costs millions of dollars, and air-to-air missiles aren’t exactly cheap. Drones are inexpensive by comparison; it’s a mismatch Russia could exploit by swarming the skies and draining NATO stockpiles as soaring demand outpaces supply on air defenses.

Instead, a mixture of air defenses is needed, warfare experts say. These could include cheaper missiles, turrets, jamming systems, and even solutions like nets that could augment the more exquisite systems. And some European leaders have called for a collective air defense system for Europe, arguing that it would be a more cost-effective approach.

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