First A-Scramble for Koninklijke Luchtmacht F-35A
In the early hours of 13 February 2023, two Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, Royal Netherlands Air Force) F-35A Lightning IIs, which are temporary based at Malbork air base (Poland), intercepted three Russian Federation - Aerospace Forces (RF VKS) aircraft.
The Russian aircraft, two Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fighters and one Ilyushin Il-20M Coot-A Special Mission Communication Intelligence/Electronic Intelligence (COMINT/ELINT) aircraft approached the Polish air space from the Russian controlled Kaliningrad Oblast.
The aircraft were intercepted by the KLu F-35As, who were joined by Luftwaffe (GAF, German Air Force) EF2000 Eurofighters. The NATO fighters shadowed the RF VKS aircraft untill they returned back to Kaliningrad.
Eight KLu Lightning IIs are temporary based at Malbork for taking up NATO Enhanced Air Policing tasks. Four F-35As are dedicated for the Air Policing task, the other four are used in a training programme with allies. The fighters will stay in Poland untill late March 2023.
Due to runway construction work, their homebase Leeuwarden will be closed from 3 April untill 25 August 2023. After the deployment, the F-35As will most probably be flown to Volkel air base in the south of the Netherlands.
The following eight Lightning IIs departed to Malbork on 27 January 2023. Except for F-011, all F-35s are carrying a 322 Squadron badge on the vertical stabiliser.
Photos by Dino van Doorn (Scramble Archive) and NATO Allied Air Command