Royal Air Force tests A400M grass-runway operations in Poland amid Russian drone incursions across NATO’s eastern flank

A Royal Air Force Atlas C1 A400M deployed to Powidz, Poland, for training from temporary and unprepared surfaces as NATO emphasizes dispersed operations on its eastern flank. Crews from 70 Squadron and the Polish Air Force practiced low-level flying, grass-runway operations, airdrops and movement of allied vehicles. Operating away from established bases is intended to preserve air mobility if fixed infrastructure is threatened or unavailable, while common A400M procedures improve multinational interoperability. The deployment was a training activity focused on dispersed air-mobility operations and interoperability under non-standard conditions.