Now drone sightings in Munich. What is Europe’s plan to counter this new threat?

Munich Airport was closed for several hours after drones were seen in the skies above.

Over a dozen flights were grounded after 10 pm on Thursday, according to local authorities. Over 3,000 passengers were affected by the closure. More than a dozen flights were also diverted.

This isn’t the first time drones have been spotted in the space of European countries over the past few months. While there is no official link to Russia, the possibility cannot be ruled out. The Kremlin, for its part, has denied any involvement in the drones breaching the airspace of EU nations.

But where have the drones been seen? What is Europe doing about it?

Let’s take a closer look:

Denmark

Drones were seen flying over Denmark’s military installations and airbases in September including Karup, which is where the Danish Armed Forces’ helicopters, airspace surveillance and parts of the Danish Defence Command are based.

Denmark’s Aalborg, Billund and Copenhagen airports were among those shuttered. Drones were also seen over Esbjerg and Sonderborg, which continued to operate. Authorities said they were investigating and that the threat from drones was high. They described the incident as a ‘hybrid attack’ and that they considered invoking article 4 of Nato – as Poland had.

They said they witnessed drones flying over the Skrydstrup Air Base in southern Denmark and the Jutland Dragoon Regiment base – both of which belong to the armed forces.

Poland

Poland said nearly two dozen Russian drones entered its airspace on September 9. It described the incident as an “act of aggression”.

It said a drone was witnessed flying over the Belvedere presidential palace in Warsaw on September 15. The drone was taken down by the Polish State Protection Services.

Poland detained a 17-year-old Belarusian woman and a 21-year-old Ukrainian man in connection with the incident.

Norway

The Oslo Airport in Norway’s capital also shut because of drone activity in September. Police also said they were investigating potential drone sightings at the Orland Airbase, where its F-35 fighter jets are kept.

Airspace around the airport in the country’s capital was also cordoned off for a few hours on September 23 after drone sightings. Flights were also diverted to the nearest airport. Norwegian and Danish authorities are said to be working together on the investigation. However, no link has been established between them thus far.

France

France has said it spotted unidentified drones over France’s Mourmelon-le-Grand military base on September 22.

Authorities said the unmanned aerial vehicles were not “drones piloted by military personnel”. They said they were not ‘small’ UAVs. The base has filed a complaint with France’s police, which is investigating.

Meanwhile, French authorities have detained two crew members of a Russian-linked oil tanker they think belongs to Moscow’s “shadow fleet”.

France’s Navy boarded the tanker, the Boracay, off the coast of western France. They suspect that the Boracay is one of the ships used to launch. However, France has no evidence of this yet. The captain and the first mate of the ship have been arrested after refusing to cooperate with authorities.

Latvia

Also in September, a drone from Belarusian airspace went down in the eastern part of Latvia.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics wrote on X that authorities are investigating and “the government is in close contact with its Nato allies”.

Lithuania

In September, flights at Vilnius Airport, which shares a border with Russia, were also delayed due to drones. Lithuania in July twice reported that a drone had crossed over into its airspace from Russia. The first incident occurred on July 28 and the other occurred on July 10.

Authorities in Lithuania said that the July 28 drone was likely meant for Ukraine but strayed into their territory. The drone, armed with explosives, was found a few days later in a military training area.

Lithuania then sought help from Nato with foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys and Nato’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte saying they would take “immediate steps to strengthen air defence along Nato’s frontline”.

Romania

Romania in late September said a Russian drone had entered into its airspace.

The country on September 8 also claimed that a Russian drone came into its airspace while conducting attacks on Ukraine on September 8. The military then put F-16 fighter aircraft into the air to keep an eye on the airspace.

The Romanian Ministry of National Defence sent Russia “a firm message of condemnation” for the attacks carried against Ukrainian “civilian targets and infrastructure elements” which it described as a “serious contradiction” of international law.

The UAV, a Geran, the Russian version of the Shahed 136 kamikaze drone, was spotted around 20 kilometres from Chilia Veche village before it fell off the radar.

What is Europe doing about it?

Europe wants to build a ‘drone wall’ to safeguard its airspace.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had stressed the need to do so in September after Russian drones entered Polish airspace.

This would not be a physical wall per se but a system built to spot and intercept drones – taking into consideration all the EU members’ anti-drone abilities. This could comprise radar, acoustic sensors, jammers, and even anti-drone guns or nets.

Efficiency will be the name of the game.

“…we cannot spend millions of euros or dollars on missiles to take out the drones, which are only costing a couple of thousand of dollars,” as Rutte has said.

While details of the plan with regard to its scope and cost remain sketchy, it is aimed at protecting Europe, particularly its eastern flank, from Russia.

“It is basically an anti-drone system that is able to do swift detection, interception and, of course, if necessary, neutralisation,” von der Leyen said.

“I don’t really care about the name, as long as it works,” said Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

She said the discussion was more focused on constructing a broader “ecosystem” that could also help counter threats coming from other areas.

“Of course, it has to focus on the eastern flank, because the eastern flank is closest to Russia. But at the same time, we have this, I think general approach,” she said.

Officials from nearly half a dozen nations including Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland then met to discuss how to possibly implement such a ‘drone wall’.

How is Russia responding?

Putin claimed that Nato is trying to “inflame tensions to boost the defence spending.”

“I won’t anymore. Not to France, not to Denmark, not to Copenhagen,” he jested.

However, he also struck a serious note.

“We are carefully watching the growing militarisation of Europe,” Putin said. “Is all of this just words or is it time for us to take countermeasures? No one should have doubt that Russia’s countermeasures will not take a long time to come.”

With inputs from agencies