The Netherlands has deployed advanced Patriot and NASAMS air-defense systems to protect Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport, the main logistics hub funneling Western military aid into Ukraine.
The deployment is part of longstanding NATO security arrangements on the alliance’s eastern border.
The mission began Monday, Dec. 1, and will run through June 1, 2026, the Dutch Ministry of Defense said.
About 300 Dutch troops are stationed near the airport, where two Patriot launchers, one NASAMS battery and a dedicated counter-drone unit are now on duty.
The Netherlands’ last remaining Patriot system will stay behind to ensure the country’s domestic security.
The country is sending its latest Patriot configuration, equipped with upgraded radar and software.
The system’s PAC-3 interceptors can shoot down ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones – though each interceptor costs around €4 million ($4.7 million).
A critical gateway for Ukraine’s survival
Rzeszów-Jasionka airport, located just 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border, has become NATO’s main gateway for delivering weapons and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine.
The airport features one of Poland’s longest runways – 3,200 meters – allowing it to handle heavy cargo aircraft.
Since the full-scale invasion, up to 90-95% of Western military aid flown into Poland has passed through this airfield before being sent by road to Ukraine.
Rising threats and rising stakes
Col. Olav Spanjer, who commands the Dutch Patriot unit, recently said that tensions in the region have been escalating.
Recent Russian strikes on western Ukraine triggered air-raid alerts in Poland, scrambled Polish fighter jets and forced temporary airport closures, he said.
Dutch officials described the mission as both operational – directly protecting a high-value target – and symbolic, underscoring the Netherlands’ commitment to NATO’s eastern flank.
“We are doing this to protect NATO’s eastern flank, an important military hub for defending Ukraine and deterring and further discouraging the Russians,” Dutch Defense Minister Rubens Brekelman said earlier in August.
The deployment follows an earlier Dutch and Norwegian mission that used F-35 fighter jets to guard Polish airspace from Sept. 1 to Dec. 1, 2025.
That rotation was also aimed at deterring Russia and safeguarding equipment bound for Ukraine.
Part of broader Dutch support
The Dutch government has previously stressed the importance of Ukrainian security for NATO and European security as a whole.
The country is also among the Western nations that have donated F-16 fighters to Ukraine, with all 24 pledged presumably already delivered to the war-torn nation.
On Aug. 5, the Netherlands also became the first NATO country to buy US weapons for Ukraine under US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) scheme.