Russian drones made of wood and foam tested NATO's defense capabilities by breaking into Polish airspace. To destroy them, the allies had to deploy F-35 fighters, refueling aircraft, and a Patriot system, which showed the imbalance between the Kremlin's cheap weapons and the Alliance's expensive response.
This is stated in a Politico article, writes UNN.
Details
On Wednesday, at least 19 drones were recorded over Poland, some of which were flying towards a NATO base. Five devices were intercepted only after the deployment of a multi-billion dollar arsenal: Dutch F-35s, an Italian reconnaissance aircraft, a refueling aircraft, and a German Patriot air defense system.
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Analysts emphasize that such a response revealed a weak point in NATO's defense. The "Gerbera" drones, which are copies of Iranian Shahed and cost about $10,000, forced the use of weapons hundreds of times more expensive.
Raising an F-16 or F-35 every time to fight such drones is not viable. NATO needs to build effective counter-drone systems.
For comparison, Ukraine shoots down 80-90% of Russian drones, often during much larger attacks. In contrast, NATO was able to destroy only a few of the 19 devices that invaded Polish skies.
Experts consider this incident as a "military and political test by Russia," which showed that the Alliance's modern defense system is not adapted to massive attacks by cheap kamikaze drones.
Recall
On the night of September 10, Russian attack drones flew into Polish airspace. This happened during a massive air attack on Ukraine.
19 Russian drones violated Polish airspace. Five of them were heading to a NATO base through which the Alliance supplies military aid to Ukraine.
Poland invests in joint projects with Ukraine to develop anti-drone technologies and modernize air defense systems. This decision was made after the incident with Russian drones that violated Polish airspace.