NATO TO EXPAND LOW-COST COUNTER-DRONE DEFENCES

Wed 30 September 2026:

Mark Rutte says alliance wants to avoid using expensive fighter jets against cheaper aerial threats along its eastern flank

NATO will strengthen lower-cost counter-drone systems to reduce the need to deploy advanced fighter aircraft against relatively inexpensive unmanned aerial threats, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday.

Speaking alongside Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius at NATO headquarters, Rutte said the alliance was adapting its air-defence strategy as drone incursions become more frequent.

“We will strengthen cheaper counter-drone defenses so we are not using high-end jets against low-cost threats,” Rutte said.

The approach reflects a growing concern among NATO members that using sophisticated aircraft and expensive missiles to intercept relatively cheap drones can create an unfavourable cost imbalance.

NATO reinforces eastern flank

Rutte said a series of drone incidents along NATO’s eastern flank demonstrated that the threat was evolving.

The alliance is therefore strengthening its integrated air and missile-defence network through what Rutte described as a “multilayered, 360-degree approach”.

NATO is also adapting its military posture specifically to counter drones through initiatives including Drone Edge, aimed at improving the alliance’s ability to detect and defeat unmanned systems.

Drones have become increasingly important in modern warfare, particularly in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, where both sides use them extensively for surveillance, targeting and attacks.

Their relatively low cost and ability to operate in large numbers have created new challenges for conventional air-defence systems.

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Italian jets intercept drone over Lithuania

Rutte pointed to a recent incident as an example of NATO’s collective air-defence arrangements.

Two weeks earlier, Italian fighter jets operating under NATO command from Lithuania’s Siauliai Air Base shot down a drone after it entered Lithuanian airspace.

Rutte described the incident as “collective defense in action.”

The incident also underscored NATO’s heightened alertness along its eastern border, particularly as the alliance continues to monitor potential spillover from Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Lithuania shares borders with Russia’s Kaliningrad region and Belarus, a close Russian ally.

German brigade planned for Lithuania

Sinkevicius said air defence and military preparedness along NATO’s eastern flank were among the main issues discussed during his talks with Rutte.

He also said Lithuania remained on schedule to host a permanently deployed German brigade by the end of 2027.

The German deployment forms part of NATO’s broader effort to strengthen its eastern flank following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Germany has been developing its military presence in Lithuania as part of plans to create a more permanent NATO deterrence structure in the Baltic region.

NATO pledges continued support for Ukraine

The two leaders also reaffirmed their support for Ukraine as it continues fighting Russia.

Rutte said Moscow’s hostile actions were aimed at testing and weakening NATO’s resolve, but insisted that the alliance would maintain and increase its backing for Kyiv.

“do even more for Ukraine, and not less,” Rutte said.

The comments come as NATO continues to adapt its defence planning to a security environment in which drones, electronic warfare, missile systems and other relatively low-cost technologies are playing an increasingly important role.

For the alliance, the challenge is not only to improve its ability to intercept drones but also to ensure that the cost of defending against them remains sustainable.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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