Six countries, including Ukraine, will launch the production of interceptor drones to create an aerial wall on the border with Russia and Belarus

Illustrative photo. HX-2 attack drones with artificial intelligence from a European defense technology company. Photo: helsing.ai

Drones will be tested "on Ukrainian training grounds" — meaning, in real combat. They will be created based on recent Ukrainian developments.

«A group of five defense ministers, including countries with the highest military expenditures — France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom — announced on February 20 at a meeting in Krakow that they are launching an initiative called "Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms" (LEAP).

«Together, we possess one of the world's best arsenals for destroying air threats. We are confident that this is the very first step in what we hope will be a whole series of initiatives,» Politico quotes UK Deputy Defense Minister Luke Pollard as saying.

According to Pollard, the drone program "is a signal to the defense industry of each of the five countries to respond to this challenge."

As the publication notes, the initiative reflects growing concern about the defense of European airspace after a series of incidents in NATO skies last year — from Russian fighter jets flying over Estonia to groups of drones penetrating the airspace of Poland.

Although NATO neutralizes threats, missiles costing millions of dollars are shooting down drones that cost pennies.

«The challenge is to effectively shoot down relatively cheap missiles, drones, and other threats. We must balance the cost of the threat with the cost of defense,» Pollard told reporters.

According to the UK Deputy Defense Minister, the initiative in the field of unmanned systems involves new "multi-million" financial commitments from the five countries. It is primarily aimed at the development and production of so-called effectors to counter drones.

In military terminology, "effectors" are elements of weaponry that directly impact the target and ensure its defeat: for example, missiles, kinetic interceptors, or warheads with explosives. "Autonomous platforms," in turn, are unmanned systems capable of operating independently, including making decisions without constant human involvement.

Thus, the main idea of the initiative is to create relatively inexpensive alternatives to classic anti-aircraft missile systems and combat aviation, the use of which against drones often proves economically unjustified.

As Reuters notes, this initiative comes at a time when European leaders are working to strengthen their defense capabilities amidst growing doubts on the continent about Washington's readiness to ensure its defense.

Citing a separate statement from the UK government, Reuters reports that the first project within the "Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms" initiative will be implemented by 2027.

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