Lithuania Says It Cannot Fully Protect Its Airspace From Drones

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was reported by LRT , according to Ukrinform.

“Like all NATO countries, we cannot ensure 100% [airspace security] at this time,” Armed Forces Commander Raimundas Vaikšnoras stated.

He added that full coverage would require much higher expenditures - possibly 10% of GDP on defense.

Vaikšnoras confirmed that the planned measures will focus on specific border areas and strategic sites. Broader protection of the airspace, he said, would require billions of euros.

"Expectation management is very important. Attention will be given to strategic objects, not just the borders. We hope for support from Germany, specifically in Lithuania. The force generation process is ongoing to ensure a systematic approach to the problem,” he noted.

The planned Lithuanian defense systems are expected to be mobile, allowing the military to redeploy them if a threat is detected.

“The effect would be that we could identify low-flying objects and neutralise them,” Vaikšnoras said.

Read also: Ukrainian weapons able to reach any military targets in Russia - FM Sybiha

As reported by Ukrinform, his comments came against the backdrop of a series of incidents in which Russian drones violated the airspace of NATO's eastern flank. This summer, two Gerbera drones entered Lithuania, and on September 26, operations at Vilnius Airport were twice halted due to drones.

NATO does not yet have a unified solution for detecting and neutralizing drones violating the airspace of member states. The Alliance recently launched the Eastern Sentinel mission in the Baltic Sea. Turkey has recently deployed an AWACS reconnaissance aircraft in Lithuania, with other assets expected to arrive in the coming months. Legislative changes adopted by the Seimas will allow the military to neutralize drones threatening Lithuania's airspace more quickly and effectively.

Photo: pexels

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