London – More than three years, Ukraine Fighting almost every night with Russian attack drones. NATO On Wednesday, the battle was alluring.
Polish authorities said they discovered 19 violations of airspace, prompting a million-dollar response as fighter jets were disturbed and Patriot air defense systems were placed on alert. Up to four drones were shot down with the help of help NATO Allies.
The intrusion that lasted for several hours NATO The vulnerability of drone wars. Russian authorities say they are not targeting PolandAnd a close ally Belarus said some drones “lost their route” because they were stuck. Nevertheless, several European leaders and experts say Poland Targeting intentionally.
If one or two drones enter Polish airspace, it could be a “technical failure”, but it’s “it’s impossible to imagine it could be accidental,” he said. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski.
While it is difficult to prove intention, “it starts to lose your way” to begin to look intentional, agree Thomas Wellingtonan electronic warfare expert at the Royal Joint Services College London.
One goal, he suggested, could have been a test NATO Response and the ability to react to drones.
Since January Russia At least 35,698 attack drones have been launched Ukraine According to the Associated Press analysis of Ukrainian Air Force data.
Since its inception, Polish airspace has violated several times Russia’s Full invasion Ukraine February 2022. The fragments of Ukrainian missiles are Poland In 2023, drones are trapped PolandRome and Moldova, and the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
But until Wednesday, NATO The country has invaded its airspace several times. This is the first time NATO Air power interacts with enemy targets NATO nation.
The discovery of drone debris was found about 554 kilometers (344 miles) into Polish territory, deeper than any previous invasion.
Not yet clear, now NATO cautious. “We don’t know whether it was intentional or unintentional,” General Alex Glinkwich, NATO Supreme Allied European commander, said Thursday.
He continued: “Today I can’t be sure that it’s a 20 (drone) or a 10. We just need to understand the technical details to figure out this to report the crew members that were seen, see what they saw, etc.”
It’s hard to say “no evidence” and it’s hard to say whether Moscow really intends to fly drones in PolandAsh Alexander-Cooper, former professional military commander and vice president of Dedrone, said the technology produces technology to detect and neutralize drone threats.
But based on knowledge of Russian drones and their reaction to electronic warfare, experts who spoke with the Associated Press said it was a deliberate invasion.
There are two key ways to neutralize most drones: shoot them down, or hit them with electronic signals.
Interference and deception are the main ways to do this. The clogging cuts the connection between the drone and the satellite navigation system, and the drone can think it is elsewhere.
If the drone gets stuck – or Ukraine or Poland – It will land or fly back to its origin Russia Or Belarus, with Lington said.
If you deceive it, it may fly around, crash or land.
Alexander-Cooper said that trying to clog it might actually make the problem worse if the drone is spoofed. “The interruption of the drone usually sends it home, but Russia Some drones are being programmed now so that their “home” is actually their target. If satellite communications are cut, the drone will continue to face the target.
Military drones also have inertial navigation units that use previous position repairs and gyroscopes to mark the drone’s position relative to Earth so that it can continue to fly without satellite or radio signals.
In this case, if the drone could only penetrate the depths of Polish airspace Russia Withington said they have been given a targeted “task”.
Alexander -Cooper said that Russian attack drones – known as Shaheds – are hard to destroy”. NATO Desperate jets knock them down.
The Polish Ministry of Defense said the F-35 and F-16 fighter jets and Blackhawk helicopters were deployed, as well as the Soviet-designed MI-24 and MI-17 helicopters. German Patriot Missile Defense System Poland Also put on alert.
Alexander-Cooper believes that this reaction is economically disproportionate to the threat.
“Strike millions of dollars of missiles … is not an economic model that can sustain thousands of dollars of drones,” he said.
General Wislaw Kukura, commander-in-chief of the Polish armed forces, told Polish television that the cost was the focus next to it. “What matters is the value this drone can destroy. If it’s Polish life, there’s no price,” he said.
If faced with a drone cluster, Ukraine“There are not enough planes NATO The fleet…have enough missiles or enough interceptors to do the job. “Alexander-Cooper said. This also requires making fighter pilots (with limited supply and expensive training) say in a hazardous way.
Both Russia and Ukraine New drones, technologies and tactics were developed rapidly.
Since 2024 Russia To overwhelm Ukrainian air defense, the armed Shahs’ hybrid bait drone had no payload, which made neither of them indistinguishable.
Russia Fabian Hinz of the International Institute of Strategic Studies said London.
June, Ukraine In Operation Spider Web, drones used fly from trucks to millions of dollars Russian fighter jets deep in the country. Ukraine’s security department said it uses artificial intelligence to partially fly drones on planned routes if they lose signals.
On the frontline, both Russia and Ukraine Use fiber optic drones for surveillance and strike. They are not likely to interfere electronically when they are connected to the operator via long, thin fiber optic cables.
Every night, Ukraine According to the Air Force, shooting down most Russian attack drones, but even one or two can cause serious damage.
After Wednesday’s invasion, Polish authorities said drone debris was found at 16 sites. This may indicate that several drones have escaped.
Withington said the fact that some drones were able to fly into Polish airspace suggests that “maybe there is a lack of detection capabilities somewhere.”
Current NATO Withington said air defense measures were established primarily to detect and neutralize fast moving targets such as cruise and ballistic missiles. They are not intended to track small objects, usually made of fiberglass or plastic, that do not reflect radar waves like metal missiles, he said.
Sikorsky Poland needs a drone wall and “new technology” to fight back large-scale attacks, it said Wednesday.
No one was killed in the incident, so the suggestion was wrong NATO Withton said the response was “failure.”
But, he said: “It could be even more serious. I care about the next time.”
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Associated Press reporter James Keaten in Claudia Ciobanu, Warsaw, Switzerland, Poland and Lydia Doye London Contributed to this report.
