From 1 January 2027, France will take over responsibility within NATO for air defence of the Rzeszów-Jasionka airport area, the French Ambassador to Poland, Étienne de Poncins, announced.
What the ambassador announced
The French Ambassador to Poland, Étienne de Poncins, shared the information on Friday, 6 November, speaking to journalists in Warsaw; his remarks were quoted by Reuters. „From 1 January, as part of the NATO mission, France will take over responsibility for air defence of the area around Rzeszów. This will be the first time French equipment is used for this task,” the diplomat said.
According to the ambassador, French air defence systems will operate alongside American Patriot batteries. Their joint use is meant to test the interoperability of the two countries’ weapons.
What has not been disclosed
De Poncins did not say exactly which systems France will deploy to Poland or how long its forces will be responsible for protecting the area. As of publication, neither the Polish Ministry of National Defence (MON) nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MSZ) had issued a statement on the matter.
Why Jasionka matters
Since 2022, Rzeszów-Jasionka airport has been the main hub through which Western military and humanitarian aid reaches Ukraine. It lies close to the eastern border, which is why protecting it is a NATO priority on the alliance’s eastern flank. Air defence around the airport has been provided by allied forces in succession; France will take over after the current rotation, which involves the presence of Patriot systems.
