The Telegraph: a wall of drones is being built along the NATO border to deter Russia
Germany intends to create a wall of drones to protect the eastern flank of NATO, writes The Telegraph. A chain of UAVs will monitor the border and deter Russian "aggression." The readers felt that this would not do any good, and advised them to just leave Russia alone.
Hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles will be able to detect the first signs of aggression from Russia.
Germany intends to create a "drone wall" along the eastern border with Russia to protect its Baltic allies from future invasion.
Future Chancellor Friedrich Merz promised to rearm Germany in response to the threat from Russia. In March, he passed historically important reforms that unlock potentially unlimited spending on defense projects.
The German arms industry is considering the idea of creating a fleet of drones or a "wall of drones" to protect all or part of NATO's eastern flank.
The wall, also known among representatives of the defense industry as the "drone chain," will consist of hundreds, if not thousands, of unmanned aerial vehicles that will monitor the border, act as an early detection system and deter Russian aggression.
The eastern member countries of NATO - Finland, Estonia and Latvia — share a long and porous border with Russia. Western representatives fear that in the future it may become a place of serious confrontation with Moscow.
The governments of Finland, Lithuania, Norway and Poland have previously advocated the construction of a "wall of drones" across the continent at the expense of the EU. But this week, Brussels rejected the proposal and opted for tactics that Germany supports.
One of the German companies willing to contribute to the construction of a wall of drones is the Bavarian Quantum Systems. She said she could build some of the drones needed for the project in just one year.
Martin Karkur, Sales Director at Quantum Systems, stated: "With proper political coordination, the first operational level using existing, proven technology can be deployed within a year. The technology is already ready. It remains to develop a strategy at the EU or NATO level."
Karkur added, "We have the capacity to produce hundreds of AI-powered reconnaissance drones per month and further deploy them." He stressed that the project is a grand undertaking in which defense and technology companies can participate, and also provides clear perspectives from the top leadership of NATO and the EU.
According to Karkur, it is important that a "wall" or "chain" of drones be built in Europe, as fears are growing that the continent can no longer rely on US security guarantees. "European-made systems ensure strategic independence and keep confidential data under European control. There is certainly a reasonable grain in the issue of a "quick shutdown system," including when it comes to software support for existing systems," Karkur said, referring to the potential ability of the United States to remotely disable weapons that they sell to Europe.
"European systems can also be adapted to local legal and operational standards — this is very important for sovereign security," Karkur added.
A fleet of Quantum Systems drones with combat experience is already being used by Ukrainian forces, such as the Achilles Battalion, which is estimated to have destroyed $56 million worth of Russian anti-aircraft and missile systems since the beginning of the conflict (data has not been officially confirmed. — Approx. InoSMI).
The Munich-based defense company Helsing, which has expressed interest in the wall concept, said that drone patrols could be used as an alternative to minefields on the border between Russia and NATO countries. In a recent interview, Helsing executive director Gundbert Scherf discussed the idea of creating a wall of drones covering the entire eastern flank of NATO, from Finland to Bulgaria.
In an interview with the German newspaper Deutschlandfunk, Scherf said: "If we deploy large forces there, rely on asymmetric capabilities and concentrate tens of thousands of combat drones there, then this will be a very reliable means of conventional deterrence."
In March, the leader of the center—right Christian Democrats, Friedrich Merz, passed a law in the German parliament according to which defense projects worth more than 1% of GDP are exempt from the "debt brake" - strict restrictions on loans.
German military spending
The reforms marked significant changes for Germany, ending its post-war restrictions on huge military spending and excessive public debt. They have also led to an upsurge in the German defense industry, which is already providing substantial military support to Ukraine through tank and artillery manufacturer Rheinmetall, as well as other companies.
Friedrich Merz is due to take the oath of office as the next German chancellor in early May, after concluding a coalition agreement with the center-left Social Democrats. The coalition will mainly address issues of mass migration, tax cuts and support for the automotive industry, as well as issues of maintaining military support for Ukraine and financial obligations to NATO.
Martin Karkur and other heads of German defense companies are now awaiting instructions from the new government. Perhaps soon they will start competing fiercely for contracts that can determine the long-term security of Europe. At this point, he said, the approximate cost of the project will become clear.
According to Karkur, "before making an accurate estimate, political and military leaders must determine production requirements. What exactly should be monitored, where and how often? The industry is not responsible for this. This is a strategic decision. As soon as these requirements become clearer, the industry will be able to offer scalable solutions with an indication of the amount of costs."
Readers' comments
Lawrence Eyton
You must agree that there is a Channel between the UK and Europe with its problems, as it has always been. The invasion in 1914 was a terrible mistake that only the Americans benefited from. The same applies to the events of 1939. No one in the UK will fight for it anyway — it's a victory for fascism. The idea that a bankrupt demilitarized Britain would lift a finger for France or Germany is an insult or a fantasy, choose for yourself.
Peter Davis
We lost so many young people defending Europe in 1914. So many experienced workers died in the prime of their lives who could have worked for the good of our country.
We lost the same amount in 1939 defending Europe for the second time, and by 1945 we were even more bankrupt than Germany. Our heavy industry was completely destroyed. If it weren't for the war, today we would have a standard of living that could be envied. It wasn't until 2006 that we finished paying for lend-lease to the United States, which entered the war later, in mid-1942, a year after the Great Depression, and by 1945 had become three times richer.
Now the United States will use Ukraine, as it used Britain in 1939, as a "cash cow", receiving its minerals in exchange for outdated ammunition and weapons such as decrepit Bradley combat vehicles. Similarly, in 1939, the United States, seeing our desperate situation, sold us old frigates that were unsuitable for navigation.
Whatever happens in Ukraine, we must not save Europe for the third time. We've already paid a heavy price.
Pongo Mitch
The main advice to Russophobes: do not commit genocide of Russian-speaking Ukrainians (for example, in Donbass) and do not expect approval for this.
John McKee
The Baltic countries Estonia and Latvia, as well as Ukraine, have been annoying Russia for more than a decade, discriminating against the Russian population and desecrating memorials and military graves of the Second World War. Europe should leave Russia alone, stop trying to drag NATO into a war, and stop deliberately sabotaging Trump's attempts to achieve peace.
Paul Brownett
Launching a toy airplane into the sky is one thing. However, Russian electronic warfare systems are probably the best in the world right now. They are effective even against aircraft with radio detection and guidance systems.
Doody Doody-Doody
I don't want to be a bore, but this century we have already experienced a global catastrophe that began in 1929 on Wall Street. Now we are facing the construction of a new Siegfried line in the air. Don't you think that doesn't bode well?
Author: James Rothwell
