1,850 miles: NATO plans world’s-costliest ‘drone wall’ to counter Russia
This high-stakes project is a network of surveillance drones and counter-drone systems stretching from Norway to Poland.
A new defense project is taking shape along NATO’s eastern frontier in a challenging modification.
In response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the growing threat of hybrid warfare, several European countries have begun work on a project called the “Drone Wall.”
This high-stakes project is a network of surveillance drones and counter-drone systems stretching from Norway to Poland.
World’s costliest 1,850-mile drone wall
The initiative will be a permanent early warning and monitoring system across NATO’s eastern border, which spans around 3,000 km or 1,850 miles.
It marks one of the alliance’s most ambitious attempts yet to harden Europe’s defenses against Russia’s unconventional tactics, such as drone incursions, GPS jamming, and cross-border provocations.
Germany leads the project and has the backing of six NATO countries, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, and Norway.
The project reflects a broader shift in European defense thinking as nations increasingly look to reduce dependence on the United States.
That trend has accelerated under President Donald Trump’s renewed pressure on NATO members to spend more on defense.