Russian incursions give urgency to ‘drone wall’ defence system along EU’s eastern flank

The frigate Hamburg of the German Navy is docked at the harbour in Copenhagen for the European Union summit. Denmark has banned all civilian drone flights across the country this week to ensure security as Copenhagen hosts heads of government. Photo / Emil Nicolai Helms, AFP

The European Union is working on a plan to establish what it calls a “drone wall” — a defence system along the bloc’s eastern flank meant to repel unmanned aircraft from Russia.

Details are scant, because the effort is in its early stages. Given the rash of recent Russian drone incursions into European airspace, officials have an incentive to move quickly.

The idea was expected to be discussed overnight in Copenhagen as leaders from across the 27-nation bloc gathered to talk about trade and defence.

Here’s what we know about the plan:

How did the idea come about?

Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, floated the idea of an “eastern flank watch”, including the drone wall, in her annual state of the union speech last month.

The proposal had an immediate sense of urgency. Russian drones had entered Polish airspace that same day. Later in September, Romania reported a Russian drone incursion, and Russian fighter jets entered the skies over Estonia.

A kick-off planning call took place last week, joined by representatives of nations near Russia — Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Poland, Slovakia and Finland — as well as Denmark, which holds a EU leadership role.

“We need to act now — Europe must deliver a strong and united response to Russia’s drone incursions at our borders,” von der Leyen said yesterday. “That is why we will propose immediate actions to create the drone wall.”

What is a drone wall, and what would it do?

Many countries already have or are working on anti-drone technologies. The goal in this case would be a joint shield to better detect, track and intercept drones when they enter airspace over the European Union or one of its close allies.

The wall would not be a physical barrier, but rather a co-ordinated network of drone trackers — potentially using tools like radar, jammers and acoustic sensors — along with improved information and data sharing.

“We have to keep our skies safe,” said Mark Rutte, the secretary-general of Nato, which is working with the EU and its member states on the project.

“The drone wall initiative is timely and necessary. In the end, we cannot spend millions of euros or dollars on missiles to take out the drones, which are only costing a couple of thousand of dollars.”

What exactly the drone wall might look like and how it would be paid for are up for debate, as is the timeline for completing it. The project would draw on expertise developed in Ukraine, which has already been advising its European allies about it.

European officials are still discussing the details, Andrius Kubilius, the Lithuanian commissioner responsible for defence and space, said after last week’s meeting.

One “immediate priority”, Kubilius said, is advanced detection, “which clearly we lack in some places”.

The drone wall would be part of a broader initiative aimed at better policing the European Union’s eastern reaches.

That push could also include improved maritime security in the Baltic and Black Seas and real-time space surveillance, which would improve the bloc’s ability to track military movements.

Why does Europe want this?

Europe was already on edge before the recent drone incursions.

Russia has been spending nearly 7% of its gross domestic product on its military and is rapidly conscripting men into its army.

As the war in Ukraine drags on, this year has been marked by uncertainty about the United States’ commitment to Ukraine, Nato and European security.

So Europe is trying to send a message of preparedness, if nothing else. But experts say timing is critical.

“We cannot wait one year for this to become operational,” Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former Nato secretary-general, told reporters last week.

Already, though, some European leaders have expressed scepticism that an effective joint project could be cobbled together so quickly.

“We should pay attention to manage expectations,” Boris Pistorius, Germany’s Defence Minister, said this week. “We are not talking about a concept that will be realised in the next three or four years.”

Who would pay for it?

The idea is that the EU will help to finance the project, although exactly how is unclear.

“We will build a comprehensive EU financial toolbox to make this shield a reality,” Kubilius said in a statement last week.

Some member states want the bloc to play a particularly active role. Poland’s deputy prime minister said that “the EU should launch a completely new programme encompassing grants and subsidies, not just loans”.

Estonia’s Defence Minister, Hanno Pevkur, said the union should help member states acquire new military systems to create the drone wall.

“At the moment, it seems that this front door, which is the eastern flank countries, this front door, has to be closed,” Pevkur said. “So we need to close it firmly.”

What degree of support is politically feasible remains to be seen. That could become clearer after the meeting in Copenhagen.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Written by: Jeanna Smialek

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