Inside the emergency effort to create a European drone wall

As Russian drone incursions across Europe spike, the European Union committed Wednesday to one of the most ambitious multi-nation defense projects in history: a Europe-wide “drone wall,” envisioned as a network of new sensors, artificial intelligence software, jammers, cheap missiles, and more to thwart small-drone attacks. 

The concept is still in its infancy. But dozens of Estonian defense tech startups working in autonomy, drone detection and defeat, and other areas related to drone defense gave Defense One a glimpse of how autonomous vehicles, inexpensive short-range missiles, hunter drones and AI concepts are laying the groundwork for the future of defeating drone swarms. And nearly all of them highlighted ongoing partnerships with Ukrainian front-line commanders as part of their development process. 

Estonia, a country of about 1.3 million people that shares a 183-mile border with Russia, has taken €2.66 billion in funds from the European Union to help support companies working on drone defeat. But Estonia is also one of the fastest-growing startup and tech centers in Europe, with a focus on areas such as autonomy, advanced materials, and artificial intelligence—and it’s one of Ukraine’s most active tech-sharing partners. 

Read more at Defense One