Dutch F-35 fighters appear to have fired AIM-9X and AIM-120C-7 missiles to intercept suspected Russian UAVs flying into Polish airspace.
“Dutch F-35 fighters intercepted Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Polish airspace. Our F-35 squadron makes a significant contribution to collective security within NATO. This is something we are ready to do,” Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on September 10.
The Dutch Defense Ministry confirmed that this was not the first time the country’s F-35 fighters took off from Poland to respond to “threats to NATO territory” during Russia’s airstrikes on Ukraine. However, this was the first time the F-35s shot down suspected Russian UAVs, after they entered Polish airspace on September 10.
Dutch officials did not say what type of weapons the F-35 squadron used or how many UAVs it shot down.
United24, a Ukrainian government crowdfunding platform, said Dutch F-35 fighters fired AIM-9X air-to-air missiles to shoot down Russian Gerbera decoy drones. An AIM-9X costs $400,000-$500,000, while Gerbera UAVs are made of cheap materials and are estimated to cost $10,000.
Images posted on social media showed the wreckage of an AIM-120C-7 medium-range air-to-air missile in what is believed to be Polish territory. Each AIM-120C-7 costs around $2 million.
The Ukrainian Air Force Command said Russia launched 415 suicide drones and decoy aircraft, 42 Kh-101, Kalibr and Kh-59/69 cruise missiles, and an Iskander-M ballistic missile in the early morning attack on September 10.
“Air defense units shot down and jammed 386 UAVs and 27 cruise missiles. 16 missiles and 21 UAVs hit 17 locations, while at least 8 UAVs flew across the Ukrainian border and entered Polish airspace,” the agency said.
Polish officials said 19 drones entered Polish airspace, most of them in the eastern province of Lubelskie, but two flew more than 300 kilometers from the border. At least three were shot down by Polish and NATO fighter jets.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Polish F-16 fighters, an Italian early warning aircraft, and a tanker from an alliance member took part in the effort to shoot down the drones that entered Poland. German forces activated the Patriot air defense system but did not fire.
The same day, the Russian Defense Ministry announced a large-scale coordinated attack with high-precision weapons and long-range UAVs against Ukrainian defense enterprises in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnitsky, Zhytomyr regions, as well as the cities of Vinnytsia and Lviv.
“Russia has no intention of attacking any targets in Polish territory. The flight range of the UAVs, which are believed to have entered Polish airspace, did not exceed 700 km. We are ready to consult with the Polish Ministry of Defense on this issue,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Western defense experts and officials point out that NATO is relying on advanced weapons, including F-35 fighters and Patriot air defense missiles, to counter low-cost UAVs. They assess that this is not a sustainable solution in a high-intensity conflict and that cheaper options need to be combined.