The full-scale conflict between Russia and Ukraine has forced NATO to rethink its approach to air defense. The alliance is paying particular attention to Ukraine’s experience in combating drones, which demonstrates the effectiveness of low-cost technologies in countering mass drone attacks, reports Glavkom, citing Business Insider.
The Problem of Massive Drone Use
As the publication notes, Western militaries have focused on systems for detecting aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. However, the war in Ukraine has revealed a new problem—a large influx of cheap drones capable of flying at low altitudes while remaining undetectable by traditional surveillance systems.
Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Sir John Stringer, noted that to effectively counter such threats, the West should invest in new types of sensors, particularly acoustic systems capable of detecting drones by the sound of their engines.
Integration of Existing Technologies
Major Modris Kairišs, head of the Latvian Center of Excellence for Autonomous Systems, emphasizes that Western countries do not need to develop new solutions from scratch. Much of the necessary technology already exists, and the main task is to rapidly deploy it and integrate it into a unified surveillance network.
Kairišs explained that detecting drones requires a large number of different sensors, as each type of equipment has its own advantages and disadvantages. This is particularly important for drones flying at very low altitudes, which often remain outside the effective range of conventional systems.
