(European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (C) looks at a drone as she stands next to European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius (L) and Origin Robotics co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Agris Kipurs (R) during a visit of the defence technology company Origin Robotics in Marupe, Latvia on August 29, 2025. (Photo by Gints Ivuskans / AFP))
Europe is currently not defending itself effectively enough against drones.
The European Union could significantly improve its drone detection capabilities within one year, though building a full network capable of tracking and destroying targets over land or sea will still take time – EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told Euractiv on Tuesday.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, is a keen supporter of establishing a network for detecting and neutralising hostile drones.
The idea of strengthening Europe’s air defence and building a so-called “drone wall” has become a popular initiative among EU politicians, especially after hostile drones recently entered the airspace of Poland and Denmark.
“Currently we do not have adequate capabilities to detect drones,” Kubilius said at the event presenting the initiative. “We may be able to detect fighter jets and missiles entering our airspace quickly and effectively, but drones require special attention because they fly very low and are much smaller.”
According to Kubilius, the first step is to “rapidly acquire” the equipment needed for drone detection, with which the system could be set up quickly, possibly within a year. He added that Europe should follow Ukraine’s example and install acoustic sensors to detect unmanned aerial vehicles that are invisible to radar.
As an alternative, he mentioned the use of lasers, which can shoot down intruding drones effectively and at minimal cost. He stressed that such a defence network must also cover the Union’s maritime borders.
