NATO weighs urgent drone defense boost on its eastern flank
NATO headquarters in Brussels (photo: Getty Images)
NATO and EU countries are actively discussing strengthening drone defenses on the Alliance's eastern flank amid a growing number of drone-related incidents near Russia and Belarus, Politico reports.
According to the publication, the Baltic states, Poland, Romania, and Finland are particularly concerned, as they view the threat posed by drones as increasingly serious.
As is known, in recent months, the region has repeatedly recorded cases of unidentified drones appearing, as well as violations of NATO countries' airspace.
In response, allies are considering the accelerated deployment of surveillance systems, radars, electronic warfare assets, and other technologies for detecting and intercepting drones. Closer coordination between NATO and EU member states is also being discussed.
One of the initiatives is the creation of a so-called drone wall along the eastern border of the EU and NATO. The project envisages the use of a network of sensors, monitoring systems, and drones to continuously monitor border areas.
At the same time, there is no full consensus among European countries regarding the implementation of such plans. Some states support the rapid introduction of new security measures, while others have expressed concerns about project costs, technical difficulties, and the possible duplication of NATO functions.
Leaders of countries on the Alliance's eastern flank had already stated the need to strengthen air and missile defense due to regular airspace violations by Russian drones.
NATO countries were particularly concerned by a recent drone incident in Romania, when a Geran UAV crashed onto the roof of a house in the city of Galați, injuring people.
