Poland to allow fighter pilots to shoot down foreign aircraft: minister

Poland will allow its fighter planes and helicopters to shoot down foreign aircraft detected by radar under special wartime defence measures, its deputy defence minister said Monday.

It is the latest step to raise the NATO and EU member state's defences as the war in neighbouring Ukraine drags on into its fifth winter and allies warn of a rising threat of Russian drones.

Such a change will allow "the pilot or the operational commander to make a decision to shoot down a foreign aircraft on the basis of radar readings or other information that enters the system", minister Cezary Tomczyk said.

This will replace "the standard in peacetime", where opening fire requires visual identification, rather than on the basis of radar readings or other relevant information.

"We cannot remain idle when it comes to threats, and the indications are that there will only be more of them," he added.

Tomczyk said this capability is "usually reserved for a state of war or martial law".

He said the change was made in part because Poland "is facing the possibility of drones entering (its) territory on a daily basis".

Earlier this month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Russia's plans in the war against Ukraine include "hybrid" drone and missile strikes against Kyiv's allies, including Warsaw.

Poland -- one of NATO's largest defence spenders in relative terms -- has accused Russia of launching "hybrid" provocations on its territory, including drone incursions and violations of its airspace.

It has become the main hub for transporting Western military and humanitarian support to Ukraine.