European commission president Ursula von der Leyen (AP)
European Union leaders met in Copenhagen on Wednesday, following recent airspace incursions, and supported plans to enhance Europe’s anti-drone network, like the “Drone Wall.” The “drone wall”, a defensive system along its eastern flank designed to intercept unmanned aircraft from Russia. While details remain limited due to the initiative’s early stage, officials emphasized the urgency in light of the recent incursions.”Europe must be able to defend itself,” Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s prime minister, said at the summit, as cited by Reuters.”We need to strengthen our production of drones, of anti-drone capabilities, and this includes building up a European network of anti-drone measures that can protect and, of course, also neutralize intrusion from outside,” he added.
What is a ‘drone wall’?
EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen proposed an “eastern flank watch,” including a drone wall in her annual state of the union speech last month, in response to Russian airspace incursions.The drone wall would not be a physical barrier, but a coordinated network of detection and defence systems, potentially including radar, jammers, and acoustic sensors—paired with enhanced information and data sharing. Its purpose would be to create a joint shield capable of detecting, tracking, and intercepting drones entering EU airspace or that of its close allies.The specifics of the drone wall, including its design, funding, and timeline, remain under discussion. The project will also draw on expertise from Ukraine, which has already been guiding its European allies, as reported by the New York Times. Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, whose alliance is collaborating with the European Union and its member states on the initiative, said on Tuesday, “we cannot spend millions of euros or dollars on missiles to take out the drones, which are only costing a couple of thousand of dollars.”The drone wall would form part of a wider effort to strengthen security along the European Union’s eastern borders. This initiative could also encompass enhanced maritime monitoring and real-time space surveillance, boosting the bloc’s capacity to track military activity.The EU has not yet produced a detailed plan for the drone wall, leaving open questions about the cost and practicalities.
