Securing the Skies: Defending Europe in the Drone Era

Introduction

Europe is building a wall. Not made of concrete, but with code, signals and radar. What began as a suggestion from Lithuania, has evolved into one of the European Union’s largest and most complex defense projects, a ‘Drone wall’ stretching from the Baltics down to the Black Sea.  The ‘Drone Wall’, formally known as the European Drone Defense Initiative is part of the EU's broader Defense Readiness Roadmap 2030, and has been announced in response to the rising number of hostile drones violating EU airspace following the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war.  It represents a key shift in European security priorities, as they seek defensive superiority in the air-space domain. 

Drone Attacks 

Since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the use of drones has become a staple modern warfare, resulting in repeated incursions into European airspace. As a result, the idea of a ‘Drone Wall’, first emerged in May 2023, when then-Lithuanian Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė first proposed the project in effort to improve aerial surveillance and border integrity along NATO’s eastern flank. By May 2024, six European NATO countries, including Norway, Finland, Poland and the three Baltic states, approved of the proposed initiative. However, no solid progress was made, and Europe was still vulnerable to drones from the East. In 2025, Europe witnessed an alarmingly sharp increase in the frequency of such cases. On August 20^th, a drone crashed in a cornfield close to Poland’s eastern border. Investigators determined it was most likely a decoy drone carrying a minimal number of explosives, and while a country of origin could not be confirmed, it undeniably came from the East. Early the following month, multiple European countries reported suspicious drone activity. Drone sightings occurred in the Baltics, even as far west as Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Germany. As a result, this led to Copenhagen airport implementing temporary flight restrictions for a number of hours, as well as regional airports in Latvia and Lithuania reducing operations, highlighting the vulnerability of critical European infrastructure. 

Last month, on the night of September 9^th, at least 19 drones, allegedly Russian, violated Polish airspace. Polish forces, with the help of NATO, were deployed to shoot down the drones, marking the first instance of NATO firing shots in the war. This event proved to be the catalyst which sparked a proactive approach to establishing an anti-drone system in Eastern Europe. The next day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that Europe needed to build a ‘Drone Wall’ to defend its Eastern flank. However, that would not halt the continued violation of European airspace. On September 13th, a drone flew six miles into Romanian airspace, requiring the need for Romanian fighter jets to scramble and divert the drone.  Following this, from mid to late September, countries such as the Baltics, Germany, France, Denmark and others all witnessed similar drone incursions. Only a few weeks ago, on October 2^nd, Munich airport closed after drone sightings leading to major disruptions. These incidents, along with the mass-incursion of drones in Poland earlier in the month, cemented the idea of a unified EU anti-drone system.  

What is it? 

So, what exactly is the European Drone Defense Initiative, the ‘Drone Wall’, and what does it consist of? Well, The European Drone Defense Initiative is the EU’s official strategic program aimed at protecting European airspace from hostile drones. While the ‘Wall’ is located primarily along Europe’s Eastern flank, it is adaptable to cover the entire EU. Initially, it was planned that the drone defense system would only consist of weapons, jammers, and sensors solely along the eastern border, however, for the initiative to gain more traction, the European Commissioned extended it to the wider EU. If everything goes according to plan, the basic elements of the project will be operational by the end of 2026, with full functionality expected for the end of 2027.

 While often referred to in media as the “Drone Wall,” in actuality it is a systemic network of sensors, radars, jamming systems and interceptors. As with many EU projects, it is highly dependent on cross-border cooperation and coordination, having a command-and-control network, allowing member states to share information and data, allowing for coordinated rapid response. Implementing the anti-drone system will also involve cooperation between the EU and Ukraine. For almost four years, Ukraine has had to develop their own methods to deter Russian drones and thus are extremely experienced in this field.  Based on Ukrainian innovation, the European Drone Defense Initiative would likely consist of audio and visual systems which can detect drones, as well as radio-frequency detectors and radars. In addition, following the rise in artificial intelligence, the EU will also be implementing AI which can identify incoming drones. As is the nature of AI, as it evolves, too will its capabilities regarding drone targeting.

Furthermore, the ‘Wall’ will not only consist of surveillance and drone detectors, but also counter measures to prevent drones striking their intended target. This will include weapons, such as missiles, machine guns and cannons which can shoot down hostile unmanned aircraft. Along with AI and drones, lasers are also a recent addition to modern conflict, and these too are expected to be implemented into the Drone Defense Initiative.

Financial and Political Issues

While the idea of a ‘Drone Wall’ defending the Eastern European flank sounds promising in theory, the EU faces many hurdles in making it a reality.  The biggest constraint is financing the project. Assuming the project is realized to its fullest potential, it will exceed billions of euros in costs. Furthermore, there may be disputes over how much each member state should contribute. Wealthier such as France and Germany can contribute more money, but poorer Eastern states, the states that need the ‘Wall’ even more, may depend way more on EU and NATO financing. Even when the project is fully set up and operational, the cost of keeping it up-and-running will not stop.  

Then there are bureaucratic and political hurdles. Coordinating a regional air defense system on this scale can be politically sensitive, and raise issues regarding national sovereignty, for example, some EU countries may be wary of sharing intelligence data with all other member states. Moreover, states on the Eastern flank have differing attitudes and perceptions regarding drone incursions. Countries such as the Baltics, Finland and Poland see drone incursions as an immediate threat, whereas smaller, western states may view it as a regional issue rather than a national issue, thereby creating uneven urgency and efforts to tackle the problem. On top of this, as a supranational organization, the EU can on occasion have complex bureaucratic and legal processes. In this instance, EU law prohibits military operations in civilian airspace. Hence, the EU needs to evolve its legislation to accommodate for the abilities of the ‘Drone Wall’. 

Conclusion

The war in Ukraine has reshaped the European security landscape. The widespread use of drones throughout the conflict has added a new dimension to the modern-day battlefield. The European Drone Defense initiative is representative of the EU’s evolving approach to defense, and their recognition that securitizing the air-space domain is crucial in the 21^st century. There remains one question, not if the drones will keep coming, but if the EU can overcome its internal problems and adapt to a new era of warfare.