NATO Not Prepared for ‘Large-Scale’ Putin Attack as Drone Wall Gathers Pace

After 19 Russian drones crossed into NATO member Poland early Wednesday, there are uncomfortable, pressing questions for the alliance about how well it could intercept a much larger Russian drone or missile attack.

It is, ultimately, unprepared, analysts say. No one but Israel has built up the capability to defend against a large-scale, sustained aerial attack, said Sam Cranny-Evans, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a major British defense think tank.

Observers say the problem isn’t the quality of the systems, it’s the quantity. Stockpiles have been funneled to Ukraine for years, and existing factories are hard pressed to more quickly churn out new equipment like interceptor missiles. On top of that are long waits between ordering kit and receiving it and discomfort in Europe over how reliant it is on the U.S.

“Europe has individually capable defensive systems, but nowhere near enough volume to defend itself in the event of a major and protracted war,” Matthew Savill, the director of military sciences at RUSI, told Newsweek.

European countries have broadly pledged to increase military spending, although nations forming NATO’s eastern flank, close to Russia, have more keenly felt Moscow’s presence and traditionally spent a higher percentage of their GDP on defense. By 2030, there may have been enough of a “meaningful increase” to mean Europe can properly defend itself, Cranny-Evans told Newsweek.

“It will take time,” Savill said, as well as investment in cheaper systems to deal with drones and other types of threats, like loitering munitions.

What Is a Drone Wall?

The type of air defenses NATO would use to intercept a large-scale drone attack is different from how the alliance would take out incoming ballistic or cruise missiles.

But the number of Russian drones that crossed into Poland, and how far they reached, adds a new urgency to the mammoth task of working out how NATO would take out many drones at once without turning to expensive air defense missiles, which can cost millions of dollars apiece. Cheap drones, like Russia has…