Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) reports today (August 19) that the opposition conservative Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) have proposed bolstering the country’s defences with a ‘drone wall’.
TS-LKD proposes reinforcing air defence with interception drones, jammers, missiles, ammunition towers and a drone recognition system.
“A drone wall is a 15-kilometre inaccessible zone based on sensors, radars and various types of unmanned aerial vehicles. (…) The first contact happens between technologies, not troops,” LRT quotes TS-LKD leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas as saying.
The first element of the ‘drone wall’ would be a sensor network, LRT reports, comprising a range of radars and electronic warfare tools. The second line of defence would involve close reconnaissance and first-person view (FPV) drones, acting as ‘suicide drones’. This would be followed by medium- and long-range reconnaissance and attack drones capable of surveying and striking enemy logistics, headquarters and infrastructure at distances of 10–150 kilometres, according to the proposal. LRT says the proposal also includes heavy multi-rotor, maritime and land-based drones.
The Lithuanian government recently asked NATO to help strengthen its air defences after a drone carrying 2 kilograms of explosives entered the country’s airspace from Belarus and crashed in a military training area. Lithuania is a key partner in the East Shield and Baltic Defence Line, two interconnected initiatives aimed at strengthening NATO’s eastern flank and deterring potential adversaries.
Lithuania plans dedicating EUR 1.1 billion over the next 10 years to strengthen its “counter-mobility arsenal”, say government reports.
For more information
Image: Alessandro Ricossa / Unsplash
