„It’s good that we managed to shoot it down, but we recall from last night that an alarm was raised because a flock of birds was flying overhead and it was thought to be a drone. This means that our detection system – the radars and other systems we use – does not yet allow us to indicate with certainty and reliability when a drone flying in from somewhere is actually crossing our airspace, after which we then have to consider how to shoot it down,“ said Kubilius on the programme ELTA Savaitė.
„I would say that (…) what we really need now, and what we will need in the future, is to put in place a well-functioning detection system that would allow us to spot even a single drone and ensure that, should 100 drones be flying, we would be able to see them all,“ he emphasised.
However, the European commissioner says he is not sure whether Lithuania is currently paying sufficient attention to this.
Susiję straipsniai
„I do not know how much attention Lithuania is paying to this today. It is certainly worth considering. We are ready to help; we are encouraging border states from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea to implement the so-called border surveillance project, which would also cover what we have tentatively referred to as a ‘drone border’. But this requires a comprehensive approach, as the rapid deployment of such a system in a crisis calls for decisions to be taken right now,“ explained Kubilius.
„Sometimes it is perhaps natural that both those in power and the military try to claim that ‘we have everything we need here’, but the reality is probably not quite so rosy. (...) My initial view would be to actually invest in the capabilities needed to spot drones, detect them, track their movements and be certain that they are drones and not just a flock of birds,“ emphasised the European commissioner.
According to him, to find out how air threat identification systems work, it is not necessary to wait until drones from other countries violate Lithuania’s state border.
„Perhaps there is no need to wait until some drones fly in from Russia or Belarus and then (as reported by ELTA) see whether we spot them or not, whether they fly past or crash. I don’t see any problem with us testing some drones ourselves, flying them over our own territory and then seeing whether we spot them or not, or whether we’re able to shoot them down or not. It’s just a matter of waiting to see what will happen with those drones flying in from Russia, or, as the President says – we hope that only isolated drones will visit us… That hope doesn’t really convince me, because anything could happen,“ he said.
As reported, authorities declared a probable air threat on Tuesday night in Vilnius and Kaunas counties after a drone was spotted. It was later reported that the drone had been destroyed, and the probable air threat was lifted.
The drone was shot down by fighter jets from our Italian allies, which had taken off from the Šiauliai Air Base; missile armament was used to destroy it.
Although initial reports suggested the drone may have been neutralised in the Alytus district, near the village of Navasiolkai, the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) later clarified that it had been shot down near the village of Pratkūnai in the Kaišiadorys district.
According to preliminary data, the drone entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus.
Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas confirmed on Tuesday that the downed drone was carrying an explosive device. It was neutralised.
President Gitanas Nausėda says that the object which entered Lithuanian airspace on Tuesday night and was subsequently shot down was a Russian Gerbera-type drone, which was intended to attack Ukraine but had strayed off course.