Czech army deploys Venom helicopters to Poland in first foreign mission

Two UH-1Y Venom helicopters from the Czech army have arrived in Poland to support NATO operations on the alliance’s eastern flank. The deployment was announced on X on Thursday by Poland’s defence minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. It is the first time the new US-made helicopters are being deployed in a foreign mission.

The aircraft are part of the latest rotation of Czech troops stationed in Poland since September 2025, after incidents in which Russian drones violated Polish airspace. The Venom helicopters replace older Mi-171Sh machines previously used by the Czech contingent.

Kosiniak-Kamysz also thanked his Czech counterpart Jaromír Zůna in a phone call on Wednesday for helping protect Poland’s eastern border. About one hundred Czech soldiers, mainly from the 22nd helicopter base in Náměšť nad Oslavou, are serving in the NATO Heli Unit guarding Polish airspace.