It is not reasonable to shoot down $1,000 or $2,000 drones with missiles that cost half a million or a million. That is why NATO is developing new technologies, including learning from the Ukrainians, Secretary General Mark Rutte announced.
NATO cannot afford to shoot down cheap Russian drones that violate the airspace of allies with expensive missiles. That's why the alliance will start deploying new technologies in the coming weeks and months, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an interview with Bloomberg.
"If there are drones in our airspace, we will shoot them down"
"It's not reasonable to shoot down drones worth $1,000 or $2,000 with missiles that cost maybe half a million or $1 million," Rutte said. That's why the military command in Europe is "rapidly developing" new technologies, including by learning from the Ukrainians, the Alliance Secretary General added.
"We will start implementing new technologies in the coming weeks and months to ensure that, in addition to more traditional methods, we also have these technologies to intercept drones", Rutte added.
The Secretary General rejected the accusation that NATO has reacted too slowly to the new reality of drone warfare. "I don't think so, because we are drawing all possible lessons from the war in Ukraine. We will adapt as quickly as possible, and in the meantime, if there are drones in our airspace, we will shoot them down," Rutte said.
Rutte: NATO can shoot down Russian fighters
Regarding the violation of NATO airspace by fighter jets, Rutte stressed that the Alliance's military has been "training and preparing for such situations" since the Soviet era, and NATO pilots over the past 50 years "know exactly what to do."
"They assess the danger and if the threat is such that they consider it necessary to shoot down the plane, they can do it. But they can also decide that there is no immediate threat and escort it out of our airspace," Rutte explained.
Incidents with Russian drones and fighter jets
In recent weeks, there have been several incidents of Russian drones and fighter jets entering the airspace of NATO countries.
First, at least 19 Russian drones crossed the Polish border, with a significant part of them flying from the territory of Belarus.
Then, Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace, and the Polish border service reported that Russian military aircraft had flown at low altitude over the Petrobaltic drilling platform in the Baltic Sea.
A Russian military aircraft for complex reconnaissance activities also appeared in the airspace over the Baltic Sea. sea.
When Turkey shot down a Russian fighter
In November 2015, the Turkish Air Force shot down one of two Russian Su-24Ms that had entered the country's airspace. The fighters were then involved in military operations in Syria, from where they invaded Turkey. Patrolling Turkish Air Force F-16Cs opened fire, resulting in one of the planes being shot down and crashing in Syria, while the other one left Turkish airspace.