Particle.news
Download on the App Store
18 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

NATO Sustains Eastern Air Policing as Allies Weigh Tougher Rules After Drone Incursions

EU institutions press for stronger counter-drone authorities after recent disruptions to European aviation.

Soldiers patrol the street after a drone struck a residential building, following violations of Polish airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine, in Wyryki municipality, Poland, on September 10, 2025.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument of Ismoli Somoni in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on October 8, 2025.
A couple sits as police inspect damage to their house, destroyed by debris from a shot-down Russian drone in the village of Wyryki-Wola, eastern Poland, on September 10, 2025.
Polish soldiers stand next to a Polish "Waran" armored multipurpose vehicle equipped with the Gladius drone system, during a military equipment display following military exercises of Poland and NATO allied countries in Orzysz, northwestern Poland, on September 17, 2025.

Overview

  • NATO says Italian Eurofighters in Estonia and Hungarian Gripens in Lithuania scrambled this week to monitor Russian aircraft near allied airspace.
  • Operation Eastern Sentry, launched on Sept. 12 after drones crossed into Poland, continues to reinforce air and missile defenses along the eastern flank.
  • The European Parliament approved a resolution urging readiness to shoot down unauthorized drones or aircraft, passing 469–97 with 38 abstentions.
  • According to the Financial Times, allies are discussing easing pilots’ engagement rules and arming surveillance drones, though no alliance-wide changes have been announced.
  • Germany advanced a plan to let federal police down hostile drones following airport disruptions in Munich, Oslo and Copenhagen, a measure that still requires parliamentary approval.