UK joins European powers to build cheap drone defences inspired by Ukraine
Five European countries (France, Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy (E5 countries)) have launched a new program to develop low-cost air defense systems and autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles.
The initiative announced Friday leverages expertise gained by Ukraine from its four-year war against Russia and forms part of broader efforts to strengthen Europe’s border security, including a proposed “drone wall” to detect and block drones that violate airspace.
Both Moscow and Kiev have advanced drone warfare capabilities, with conflict-derived battlefield innovations that are reshaping modern tactics.
Poland is already cooperating with Ukraine on drone technology through joint training and production projects.
These efforts follow incidents in which rogue drones have tested Europe’s borders and airports. Russia is blamed for some of the attacks, although it denies deliberate intervention.
Luke Pollard, UK government minister for defense preparedness and industry, said: “The UK and our E5 partners are stepping up to strengthen NATO’s shield by jointly investing in next-generation air defense and autonomous systems.
“We have some of the best equipment on the entire planet to take out air threats. The challenge is being able to effectively shoot down the relatively low-cost missiles, drones and other threats we face.”
He added: “We need to make sure we match the cost of threats with the cost of defence.”
Polish defense minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said a group of countries signed an agreement to jointly invest in the production and supply of drone-based strike capabilities as well as cheap drone defense systems under a program called Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms (LEAP).
“Warfare technologies and techniques are changing rapidly; we must respond quickly and appropriately,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said. “We have also signed a significant commitment on the joint development of drone-based strike capabilities, low-cost joint production and joint supply of drone effectors (i.e. combat payloads) using artificial intelligence.”
When Russian drones entered Polish airspace in September 2025, Warsaw and its NATO allies deployed multimillion-dollar jets to respond to the drones, which cost thousands of dollars and eventually crashed in the Polish countryside.
Low-cost kinetic or electronic effectors would allow drones to be detected and destroyed at very low cost.
Europe has embarked on an arms drive following US President Donald Trump’s deep criticism of NATO, European defense spending and once-solid alliances. The EU has increased spending and is openly questioning even deeper military projects.
“Europe’s security is more uncertain than it has been in decades,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, citing Russian aggression, instability in the Middle East, China and a “redefined” alliance with the United States. He said the low-cost interceptor program was an example of Europe’s commitment to its own security.
“If we want to keep our country safe, we must strengthen our hard power. The good news is that we are already investing record amounts in defense. Europe is accelerating. But it is not about competing with NATO. It is about strengthening Europe within NATO. A stronger Europe makes the alliance stronger.”
However, the military alliance consisting of 32 countries was shaken by Trump’s second administration. More recently, his repeated threats to seize Greenland, the semi-autonomous region of NATO ally Denmark, and his disparaging remarks about NATO allies’ troops in Afghanistan have provoked another backlash.
Although tensions over Greenland have eased for now, internal conflicts have seriously undermined the ability of the world’s largest security alliance to deter its enemies.
