EU sets 2027 target for anti-drone system to defend against Russia

EU foreign policy chief Kaia Callas said the new anti-drone system should be “fully operational by the end of 2027 as part of a drive to strengthen defenses against Russia and be fully prepared for a possible conflict by 2030.”

“Drones are already redefining warfare. Having drone protection is no longer mandatory for anyone,” Callas said, referring to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and fears that Moscow could attack the EU.

The European Commission’s “Defence Roadmap” also proposes strengthening the EU’s eastern borders and building air and space “shields”.

Several EU countries have faced Russian incursions into their airspace and US President Donald Trump has called on the bloc to do more to protect itself.

The European defense plan comes amid growing European fears that Russia will continue its aggression in the west after the end of the war in Ukraine, as well as continued uncertainty over Trump’s long-term commitment to European security.

“The danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine is over. It is clear that we need to strengthen our defense against Russia,” Callas told reporters in Brussels on Thursday.

While there seems little chance the war will end soon, Trump says he is now having a “long” phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.

Trump has indicated that if Putin does not act to end the war, the US could send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine – a potential move already described as an “escalation” by the Kremlin.

Standing next to Callas, European Defense Commissioner Andrews Kubilius stressed that “our roadmap shows all the main milestones to achieve defense readiness by 2030 so that we can deter Russian aggression, prevent war and keep the peace”.

Putin has repeatedly denied that Moscow has aggressive plans towards the EU. In June, he said that “the myth that Russia is planning to attack Europe, the NATO countries, is an incredible lie … nonsense”.

This was stated by the EU executive commission The 27-member union should be ready by 2030 to “respond to any crisis, including high-intensity conflict.”

He also urged the bloc to “fill critical capability gaps” – including in air and missile defense and artillery systems – “through joint development and procurement”.

Many EU countries are also members of NATO, and its chief, Mark Rutte, said they were working together to protect member states on the eastern flank from an air threat.

The EU stressed that its “flagship” projects would be developed in “close coordination” with NATO and would not duplicate the work of the Western defense alliance.

Estimates of the total cost were not given, but Kubilius said “we’re not talking about hundreds of billions here.”

The “defense road map” still needs to be approved by member states at next week’s leaders’ summit.

However, a number of EU countries have already backed plans for a multi-layered “drone wall” to quickly detect, then track and destroy Russian drones.

In recent weeks, tensions between the EU and Russia have escalated, aafter Poland and Romania – both NATO members – said Russian drones had violated their airspace.

And Estonia – another NATO member – in September requested urgent consultations with other members of the alliance after he said Russian warplanes violated his airspace and stayed there for 12 minutes.

Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, said its planes were on a “planned flight … in strict compliance with international airspace rules and did not violate the borders of other countries.”

A number of European politicians and military experts have said that Russia’s aim is to test NATO’s capabilities and try to sow discord in the alliance.

Several NATO members responded to the reported Russian incursions by sending troops, artillery and air defense systems to secure the alliance’s eastern flank.