A NATO F-35 fighter jet was seen flaunting a fresh “kill mark” after downing a Russian drone in the first confirmed combat kill.
Pictures released by the Dutch Ministry of Defence show the victory sign on the fuselage of the advanced fifth-generation fighter jet.
Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35A (F-027) of the 313th Squadron with one UAV kill mark[/caption]
The kill mark was achieved during the fighter jet’s sortie over Poland when Russian drones entered the country’s sovereign airspace[/caption]
The marking distinctly resembles the triangular Delta-wing one-way attack drones that Russia uses against Ukraine.
And the kill mark was achieved during the fighter jet’s sortie over Poland when Russian drones entered the country’s sovereign airspace.
The aircraft involved, tail number F-027, belongs to the Dutch Air Force’s 313th Squadron.
Two weeks ago, Polish authorities said they detected 19 violations of their airspace.
It prompted a dramatic million-dollar response as fighter jets from allied countries were scrambled and Patriot air defence systems placed on alert.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the incident brought Poland closer to military conflict “than at any time since the Second World War”.
Up to four drones were shot down with the help of Nato allies.
It marked the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that Nato has directly engaged with Vlad’s forces.
According to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, the swooping drones were a “test” by Russia to see how Nato allies would respond.
The Dutch MoD said that the country’s F-35 fighters will remain stationed in Poland from September 1 to December 1 as part of NATO’s collective defence mission.
In the last two weeks, Europe has witnessed fighter jet face-offs, mysterious large drone sightings and coordinated sabotage activities that crippled operations at major airports.
All these attacks bore hallmarks of Moscow’s increasingly varied hybrid war in Europe.
Russia has been blamed for some of them, but denies that anything was done on purpose or that it played a role.
Europe is now gearing up to build a massive layer of defence dubbed the “drone wall” to deter Russian incursions into Nato airspace.
After Moscow’s repeated – and unprovoked – aerial invasions threatening Europe’s security, the continent is now on a war footing to fight Vladimir Putin’s aggression.
More drones were spotted over multiple Danish military establishments over the weekend – just days after Copenhagen airport was shut down due to drone sightings.
And on Saturday, suspected drones swooped over Denmark’s largest military base – sparking security fears.
Yesterday, French troops swooped in on a suspected Russian vessel over fears it helped launch drones into Nato airspace.
Putin’s hybrid war on Europe
VLADIMIR Putin isn’t just fighting in Ukraine — he’s waging a shadow war across Europe.
The Kremlin is testing Nato’s resolve with drone incursions, airspace violations and cyberattacks, while pumping propaganda to fracture Western unity.
This month alone, Russian drones buzzed Danish and Norwegian military bases, breached Polish skies in “choreographed” swarms, and fighter jets trespassed into Estonian airspace.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns Moscow is “checking Europe’s capacity to protect its skies” — a dry run for wider aggression.
Hybrid warfare is Putin’s playbook: mix military threats, covert sabotage, disinformation and energy blackmail to intimidate neighbours without triggering all-out war.
Western officials fear these tactics could pave the way for a strike beyond Ukraine if Europe looks weak or divided.
Analysts say the Kremlin wants to destabilise Nato’s eastern flank, sap European support for Kyiv and force the West into concessions.
With Russia’s army expanding to 1.5 million troops and its drones ranging deep into allied airspace, Europe is on high alert.
The ghost oil tanker is one of the three ships linked to Russia’s mysterious “shadow fleet” – and is being probed after Europe’s drone menace.
Nato ramped up its air defences after mysterious drones continued to menace military bases and airports across Europe.
A spokesperson for Nato said it has “enhanced vigilance” in the Baltic Sea following the intrusions.
The reinforced measures “include multiple intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms and at least one air-defence frigate” in the region to the west of Russia, alliance spokesman Martin O’Donnell said.
Denmark has installed a scanning radar at Copenhagen Airport after repeated drone run-ins.
The XENTA-M5 radar will give Denmark’s Ministry of Defence state-of-the-art 3D surveillance of the airspace and help them identify any threats.
It comes as German Navy frigate FGS Hamburg F220 – a Nato air defence frigate – was docked in Copenhagen to strengthen surveillance in the Baltic Sea.
Commander Arlo Abrahamson, spokesman for Nato’s Naval Command (MARCOM), said: “FGS Hamburg’s presence close to Denmark sends a clear signal of security and unity in the alliance.”
Officials in Europe have been on high alert after the incursions in Denmark shut down air traffic in various parts of the country several times over the past couple of weeks.
Wall of defence
European nations, especially those on Nato’s eastern flank, are now planning to build a multi-layered air defence system that will help detect the drones early and take them down.
Several frontline European nations attended a virtual meeting on Friday to assess how to protect their borders with this “drone wall”.
They include the Baltic republics, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, along with Ukraine.
Although Ukraine is not part of the project, it has the most expertise in bringing down drones.
The aim of the “drone wall” is to build a sophisticated, multi-layered air-defence system that can detect, track and take down rogue drones – without having to scramble fighter jets and use million-dollar missiles as the first response.
