Italian Typhoons Downed a Drone Over Lithuania. A Two-Fighter Intercept Runs Near $100,000.
NATO's first drone shootdown over Lithuania came from Baltic Air Policing fighters, five months after Lithuania bought 48 interceptors priced near $15,000 a shot for exactly this job.
NATO's first drone shootdown over Lithuania came from Baltic Air Policing fighters, five months after Lithuania bought 48 interceptors priced near $15,000 a shot for exactly this job.
Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons flying NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission from Siauliai destroyed an unidentified drone over Lithuania at about 00:20 local time on Sept. 15, AeroTime reported. Lithuanian Air Force commander Col. Antanas Matutis said missile weaponry was used. LRT called it the first time alliance aircraft have destroyed a drone over the country.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly happened over Lithuania on Sept. 15?
Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons on NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, flying from Siauliai Air Base, destroyed an unidentified drone at about 00:20 local time, per AeroTime. Lithuanian Air Force commander Col. Antanas Matutis said missile weaponry was used.
Was the drone Russian?
Not established. Lithuanian authorities said it entered from Belarus and that its type and operator remain unknown while the wreckage is examined. Vilmantas Vitkauskas of the National Crisis Management Center told LRT radio there is a high probability it carried explosives, though the debris has not confirmed it was a combat drone.
Why does it matter that fighters made the intercept?
A typical two-fighter NATO interception costs close to $100,000 before a missile is fired, according to figures cited at a NATO Allied Air Command industry event this summer and reported by Stars and Stripes. Drones that cross the eastern flank can cost a small fraction of that.
What is Merops, and does Lithuania have it?
Merops is a counter-drone interceptor system built by American manufacturer Perennial Autonomy. Lithuania approved a purchase of 48 Merops AS-3 Surveyor interceptors on April 22, buying into a system priced at about $15,000 per shot, Defense News wrote. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said it can intercept Shahed, Gerbera and similar targets, per LRT.
Why not just use the cheap interceptors instead of jets?
They only work when already near an incoming drone and cannot replace fighters that cover wider areas, Stars and Stripes noted. Carnegie Endowment researchers assessed that NATO's Operation Eastern Sentry has leaned mainly on fighter jets, exposing the alliance's shortage of cost-effective interceptors.
Has NATO shot down drones over the Baltics before?
Yes. A Romanian F-16 flying the same mission downed a Ukrainian strike drone over southern Estonia on May 19, the first NATO drone shootdown in Baltic airspace, Euromaidan Press wrote. Tuesday's was the first over Lithuania and the third Baltic airspace incursion in recent weeks, per Stars and Stripes.
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Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.