NATO Sets 2026 Deadline to Make Drones Core of Eastern Defense Against Russia

NATO plans to integrate drones into its forces deployed along the alliance’s eastern flank by mid-2026, a move aimed at strengthening air defense and countering growing threats from Russia, Romanian General Constantin-Adrian Cholponya told Euractiv on October 3.

Cholponya, who serves with NATO’s Allied Command Transformation, said that member states will begin active testing of unmanned aerial systems and counter-drone technologies early next year. “There is no alternative to integrating drones,” he noted, adding that the first operational results are expected by the NATO summit in Ankara in July 2026.

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According to Cholponya, the alliance intends to make drones a “systemic component” of NATO’s air defense network under Operation Eastern Sentinel—a new initiative to protect allied airspace from UAV incursions. “Without it, NATO forces face a cocktail of deadly drone attacks,” he warned.

Previously, it was reported that Polish Air Force MiG-29 jets intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea, marking the third such incident that week, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces reported in a post on X.

Earlier, the Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas , Juozas Olekas, stated that the Baltic nations must move beyond simply intercepting Russian aircraft and Belarusian drones, and should acquire the capability to shoot down violators.

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