Kristina Kazakova22:21, 15.09.25

In Poland they were placed just 115 km from the border with Belarus.

Following the Russian drone attack on Poland, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would send three Rafale fighter jets to Poland in line with its NATO commitments . The number of Rafale jets met with skepticism, but it was later revealed that the jets were not designed to shoot down drones, but to carry out strikes with tactical nuclear weapons, Defense Express writes .

The publication reports that as soon as the Chief of Staff of the French Aerospace Forces, Jerome Bellanger, published a photo of the Rafale that they decided to deploy on Polish territory, Paris’ real plan became clear.

According to Defence 24 , all three Rafale fighters belong to the Escadron de Chasse 2/4 La Fayette, which is based at the 113th Saint-Dizier – Robinson Air Base. These are not just fighters, but regular nuclear weapons carriers.

Defense Express analysts note that there are only 20 such aircraft in France and they are part of the nuclear deterrent force.

It is noteworthy that they arrived in Poland together with nuclear weapons, which theoretically could be on board the A400, which also landed in Poland. However, whether this is actually the case is still unknown.

It is noted that the deployment of such forces at the Minsk-Mazowiecki airfield near Warsaw, which is located only 115 km from the border with Belarus, is more than indicative.

It is noteworthy that Rafale fighters, unlike European fighters, which, if necessary, must be armed with free-fall American B61 nuclear bombs, carry supersonic ASMP-A missiles.

The publication shared that they have a range of 500 km and accelerate to a speed of Mach 3. The standard charge is TN 81 with a capacity of 100 to 300 kt.

Analysts also note that although France has a limited nuclear arsenal, it is completely independent from other countries, unlike the British. It is noted that France regularly conducts Poker exercises on the use of its airborne nuclear forces.

Russian drone attack on Poland

UNIAN reported earlier that the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces announced that NATO’s Operation Eastern Guard had begun, the purpose of which is to strengthen the defense of the Alliance’s eastern flank. The Polish General Staff posted footage of a French A400 transport aircraft landing at an airfield in the city of Minsk Mazowiecki, which delivered weapons for Rafale fighters. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that these measures are the Alliance’s response to the intrusion of Russian drones into Polish airspace on the night of September 10.

We also wrote that The Economist believes that NATO has a powerful air defense shield in theory , but in practice it is imperfect. One of the reasons, the publication says, is that many larger air defense systems have been sent to Ukraine, which deprives Europe of their arsenals. It is noted that even if drones can be tracked, intercepting them with air defense systems designed for much larger targets, such as aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, is not cost-effective.

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