A "wall" of drones, which will use advanced technology to detect, track and intercept unmanned aerial vehicles. This is the essence of the project that the EU plans to build a drone defense system on its eastern flank. EU defense ministers agreed to this in a video conference on Friday (26.09), as announced by the EU Commissioner for Defense Industry, Andrius Kubilius.
The "drone wall" is part of a broader project to monitor the EU's eastern flank, which also includes ground defense systems, maritime security for the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, as well as situational monitoring with satellite information.
EU instruments are expected to be used to finance the shield. "The defensive shield for the eastern flank, with the drone wall as its core, will benefit the whole of Europe," Kubilius stressed.
Germany aims to improve drone defenses
Following drone warnings in Denmark and Norway, the growing threat posed by drones is also being discussed in Germany. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt now wants to establish clear regulations, even allowing the Bundeswehr to shoot down drones in certain cases.
Dobrindt wants to better regulate the legal powers to protect against drones, German media report. A corresponding catalog of measures will determine, among other things, when the Bundeswehr will be allowed to shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles under certain conditions. Armed intervention should be possible if a drone poses an acute threat to people or critical infrastructure and when other protective measures are insufficient. In such crisis situations, the decision-making power should belong to the Federal Ministry of Defense, the media report.
Ukraine ready to help
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal declared that his country was “ready to participate in the drone shield project.” In the fight against Russia, Ukraine has developed a whole range of capabilities to detect and shoot down dozens of Russian drones cost-effectively. “The drone wall will create a fundamentally new defense ecosystem in Europe,” Shmyhal wrote online.
A concept for significantly more effective drone defense on the EU's eastern flank has been in development for months. But the need for it became more urgent after the massive Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace two and a half weeks ago. State-of-the-art fighter jets would have to fire expensive missiles to shoot down the cheap drones.
Interferences with Russian drones have also been reported from Romania. Recently, unidentified drones also repeatedly entered Danish airspace, paralyzing airports for hours. Authorities suspect a "professional hand" is behind the incidents.
DW
