NATO’s eastern members have faced a string of incursions in recent months, with Russian drones crossing into airspace over Poland, Germany, and Romania. Against that backdrop, the Royal Air Force has been sharpening its ability to operate away from conventional, well-established airbases.
That effort brought 70 Squadron to Poland this week, where crews trained in unconventional take-off and landing techniques alongside their Polish counterparts.
Flying an Atlas C1 A400M into Powidz, the squadron, part of the RAF’s Air Mobility Force, joined Polish Air Force pilots for a programme covering tactical low-level flying, landings and departures from temporary runways, aerial resupply drops, and the handling of NATO partner vehicles on and off the aircraft.
Central to the exercise was the concept of dispersal, spreading operations across several improvised, austere sites rather than relying on one permanent base. This approach helps shield military assets and builds overall resilience, and rehearsing landings on a grass airstrip gave pilots, aircrew, and commanders a rare, practical test of that capability.
Wing Commander Doug Grove, Officer Commanding 70 Squadron, said: “The A400M continues to prove its worth. By providing the RAF, UK Defence and NATO with the agility to airlift the wide variety of large vehicles, supplies and troops of the alliance to challenging locations, it remains a key cornerstone of the Air Mobility Force in helping the UK protect the homeland and secure NATO territories. Giving our crews the chance to practise unprepared runway operations ensures the RAF remains ready to fly and fight. Seamless interoperability with our NATO partners is of particular importance to reinforcing the cohesion of the Alliance and a great deal of mutual learning has taken place with our Polish friends.”
This year alone, the A400M’s range of uses has underlined just how flexible the aircraft is. In one notable mission, it carried paratroopers and medical staff to Tristan da Cunha to treat a British national who had fallen seriously ill. Elsewhere, it has kept up a steady rhythm of resupply flights in support of partner forces across the Middle East.
That flexibility feeds directly into Britain’s standing within NATO. Because the aircraft can move tactical vehicles and personnel, drop supplies and paratroopers, resupply at pace, and use makeshift runways, the RAF is able to shift quickly as mission demands change.
The advantage grows further given how many other NATO nations fly the same aircraft. A shared airframe across the Alliance makes coordination easier and adds to collective resilience at a time when the security picture is becoming less predictable.
That matters especially in the High North, the Arctic and sub-Arctic stretch covering northern Europe, North America, and Russia, an area of rising strategic weight for NATO. Being able to operate reliably in such harsh terrain keeps the RAF positioned to defend the UK, its allies, and its wider interests.
Through platforms like the A400M, the Air Mobility Force continues to underpin the RAF’s readiness, giving it the reach and adaptability needed to respond wherever the Alliance requires it.
Main Image: OGL (Open Government License.
