Developing counter drone capabilities is a top priority of the new plan.

The EU has launched an updated defence readiness roadmap amid rising geopolitical tensions with Russia, a 16 October announcement from the European Commission has confirmed.  

This updated roadmap builds on the ‘Readiness 2030’ whitepaper and roadmap launched earlier this year and chiefly covers four flagship initiatives, several aspects of which focus on counter drone technologies.  

The first flagship initiative, the ‘European Drone Defence Initiative’, will look to create a multi-layered system of interoperable counter drone capabilities for detecting, tracking, and neutralising drone attacks, as well as utilising drone technology for precision strikes to hit ground targets. 

Counter drone solutions will also form a core part of the second flagship initiative, Eastern Flank Watch, which aims to build up a range of defence capabilities for EU member states to protect Europe’s eastern flank from a range of threats, including hybrid operations and Russia’s shadow fleet.  

This Eastern Flank Watch involves integrating air defence and counter drone systems with a “set of ground defence systems” and “maritime security” in the Baltic and Black Seas as well as “systems for increased situational awareness”. It will be fully aligned with the EU’s Black Sea Maritime Security Hub and NATO’s integrated command and control structure. 

Though this is the official launch of Eastern Flank Watch, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined plans to launch Eastern Flank Watch and “build a drone wall” in September. This followed aerial incursions in European airspace by Russia that month, with NATO fighter jets shooting down around 19 drones in Polish airspace. 

Key milestones for these projects include gaining EU Council endorsement for both initiatives by the end of 202, launching them in the first quarter of 2026, and achieving full operating capability by the end of 2027 and 2028 for the European Drone Defence Initiative and Eastern Flank Watch, respectively.  

Other flagship initiatives under the roadmap include the European Air Shield, which will aim to create an “integrated, multi-layered air and missile defence shield”, and the European Space Shield, which will be designed to protect European space assets and services. 

The European Space Shield will help incentivise collaboration on space capabilities and foster the development of interoperable defence capabilities, the commission said, with a focus on countering jamming and spoofing, among other things. 

How will the initiatives work? 

The flagship initiatives will be open to any member states that wish to participate, the commission said, with individual countries set to be the drivers of how they are carried out at the national level.  

Member states will be responsible for agreeing on concrete objectives, task distribution, funding allocations from national budgets, and the appropriate frameworks to carry out the initiatives.  

The commission, on the other hand, will act as a facilitator, providing technical assistance and advice to member states on how to use the EU’s available tools and funding opportunities to carry out these projects.  

Institutions such as the European External Action Service, the European Union Military Staff, and the European Defence Agency will help meter out this advice, ensuring that projects are kept in line with long term capability goals.  

Members states must agree on how they will coordinate an approach by Spring 2026, the commission said, while progress on each flagship initiative will be monitored in the EU’s Annual Defence Readiness Report.  

What else is covered in this new roadmap? 

Elsewhere in the roadmap, the commission made commitments to the defence industry and said it plans to “deepen its understanding of the current and planned European industrial production capacity”, beginning by focusing on air and missile defence, drones, and space systems.  

It also set out objectives for Europe’s defence industrial base, including that production lines be substantially increased and delivery times significantly reduced.