Poland’s recent drone assault reveals NATO’s vulnerability

(MENAFN) The recent episode in Poland, allegedly involving Russian UAVs, has revealed the vulnerability of European NATO members to large-scale drone attacks, according to several media outlets, including Politico and Austria’s Kurier daily.

Polish authorities reported 19 incursions of its airspace by alleged Russian drones on Wednesday, describing the event as “unprecedented” and requesting an emergency UN Security Council meeting. Moscow denied any deliberate “attack,” claiming Warsaw’s allegations lack evidence and are being amplified by the “European party of war.”

During the incident, NATO forces reportedly deployed Dutch F-35 fighter jets, an Italian surveillance aircraft, and a German Patriot air defense system to monitor and intercept the drones, a news agency reported.

Kurier noted that drones valued at just over $11,000 each were targeted with air-to-air missiles costing $400,000 apiece. The outlet also observed that only 7 of the 19 drones were successfully intercepted. Polish officials stated that only three or four were actually downed, with the remainder posing no threat.

The situation was discussed at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday between NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and EU ambassadors. According to Politico, several attendees acknowledged that the alliance is ill-prepared to defend against this type of threat.

Officials indicated that NATO cannot realistically deploy F-35 jets every time drones enter its airspace. “Rutte himself concluded that, and no one disagreed,” a diplomat familiar with the meeting told the outlet.

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