The EU will look to improve its drone detection and interception capabilities as part of the project.  

The EU will push ahead with plans to build drone defences on Europe’s eastern flank following recent Russian incursions into European airspace, a 26 September announcement by European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, has confirmed. 

While European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen outlined intentions to “build a drone wall” earlier this month, Kubilius said these plans will now move from “discussions to concrete actions” following a meeting in Finland with defence ministers from Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.  

This new ‘drone wall’ will come as part of a wider project dubbed ‘Eastern Flank Watch’, Kubilius said, which will also include the development of a ‘ground wall’ and ‘maritime wall’ to protect countries from attacks on land and at sea. 

The EU will provide financial and industrial assistance to countries after agreeing on an approach to building the drone wall, Kubilius added. 

“We are facing clear challenges. Russia is testing the EU and NATO, and our response must be firm, united, and immediate”, Kubilius said.  

His announcement comes after weeks of Russian aerial incursions in European airspace, with NATO fighter jets shooting down around 19 drones in Polish airspace earlier this month. Russian drones have also entered Romanian and Estonian airspace in recent weeks.  

Responding to a question from Finnish broadcasting outlet Yle about the technology required for the new drone wall, Kubilius said that “detection is crucial” and that Europe’s first priority should be to establish a network of drone detectors.  

“When drones, small drones, are coming very low, we need to have radars, we need to have acoustic sensors … all the different technological equipment”, Kubilius said.  

Capabilities need to be able to effectively destroy drones too, Kubilius said, and to this end the EU will be looking into electronic warfare capabilities, interceptor drones, and more traditional artillery platforms.  

Outlining next steps for the project, Kubilius said Eastern Flank Watch will be a topic of discussion during the European Council meeting in October, and that there will be efforts to define the “technical and conceptual roadmap” for the project. 

The EU will work with the defence industry to deliver the plan and will also look to build a comprehensive EU “industrial policy and financial toolbox to make the shield a reality”, Kubilius said.