NATO is boosting air defense and patrols over Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia amid concerns about a possible future confrontation with Russia. Canadian public broadcaster CBC reports that the alliance is changing its approach from airspace surveillance to a broader air defense mission.
Fighter jets from Spain, Italy and Turkey are participating in the patrols. During a demonstration flight over Lithuania, journalists were shown Italian Eurofighters, Spanish F-18s and Turkish planes flying alongside a military transport plane.
„It was a change in thinking – from an air patrol mission to an air defense mission“, says Lieutenant General Guillaume Thoma, commander of air operations over the Baltic States. According to him, the new approach should allow for a faster and more flexible response to threats.
Latvia builds an anti-drone system
Latvia is also creating a system for detecting and intercepting unmanned aerial vehicles along its eastern border. The project includes radars, interceptor drones and control equipment that should detect and, if necessary, neutralize hostile aircraft.
The State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Defense, Iris Rikveilis, describes the system as a “wall of drones“. It is part of the country's efforts to build defenses against small, low-flying drones that can be difficult to detect with traditional systems.
According to NATO military planners, completely impenetrable defense against drones is impossible. They also point to an economic problem - using heavy fighters against small drones can be disproportionately expensive. That's why the Alliance is developing cheaper means of countermeasures, including specialized systems against drones.
No confirmed data on a prepared attack
Despite the strengthening of defense capabilities, NATO military planners assess it as unlikely that Russia will deliberately start a war against the Alliance. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in August that there was no evidence of a Russian attack on NATO, but urged allies to prepare for the worst-case scenario to prevent it.
Moscow has denied allegations that it is planning an attack on European countries or NATO. President Vladimir Putin says Russia is not threatening anyone and has no intention of attacking other countries. NATO has also said it sees no immediate danger of a Russian attack, but is maintaining heightened alert and strengthening its air defenses on its eastern flank.
Sources: rbc.ru, cbc.ca