Brussels says a basic network could be operational within a year.

The European Union aims to accelerate counter-drone defences after a spate of airspace incursions. EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said detection coverage could be in place within about a year, while a full system able to track and neutralise targets across land and sea will take longer.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made counter-drone protection a headline priority in her September State of the European Union address. The urgency was sharpened by drone activity reported on Monday night in Norway and Denmark, where police said only that a capable actor was involved as investigations continue; Denmark’s capital Copenhagen has been added to Kubilius’s consultation list alongside the EU’s eastern frontier states.

Kubilius said the immediate focus is rapid deployment of detection sensors, drawing lessons from Ukraine’s use of acoustic arrays to pick up low-flying, small unmanned aircraft that evade conventional radar. He also pointed to laser systems as a potential low-cost interceptor option, and stressed that Europe’s extensive maritime approaches must be covered, not only land borders.

Financing is under discussion at the European Investment Bank, where vice-president Robert de Groot said funding would be prioritised for eastern member states to build bases, strengthen infrastructure and improve military mobility so armour and troops can move quickly from west to east, and north to south.

Experts cited by Kubilius estimate the detection layer could be deployed in roughly a year, but the more complex kill chain and integrated command network will require a longer build-out.

Source: Euractiv