“Europe is not keeping up”: how Ukraine has outpaced NATO countries in developing drones

Latvian President Edgars Rinkėvičs said that Europe and NATO are not adapting to the rapid development of air warfare technologies in Ukraine. According to him, current air, drone and missile defense systems may become obsolete by mid-2027.

This is reported by The Guardian .

Rinkėvičs noted that drone technologies in Ukraine are developing “lightning fast,” while European defense systems have serious problems.

“And let’s be frank. Ukraine has them. All of Europe and NATO have them,” the Latvian president said.

According to him, many European countries could face serious difficulties even in the event of a limited Russian missile attack.

“Because if Russia decides to use a couple of missiles in this territory, I think that would be a serious challenge today for many countries,” Rinkėvičs said.

He also drew attention to the shortage of missiles for Patriot systems. At the same time, the Latvian president noted that Europe has its own production capabilities, although American complexes remain one of the most effective means of air and missile defense.

Rinkėvičs does not expect a conventional Russian military invasion of NATO countries, but called for preparation for other threats, including sabotage, cyberattacks, and incidents with drones and missiles.

By the way, Ukrainian developers have created a digital communication system PALYCH, which changes the frequencies of the drone control channel depending on the radio-electronic environment. According to the developers, the technology allows for the extension of the use of civilian UAVs at the front for up to 6–8 months.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, two companies have successfully tested new interceptor drones designed to combat Shahed jets. During combat tests, one of these interceptors destroyed a Russian drone.

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