NATO airspace: Can Baltic startups help counter Russian drones?

Deutsche Welle (DW)CenterEN 5 min read 100% complete by Benjamin BathkeOctober 29, 2025 at 01:00 PM

AI Summary

long article 5 min

Tomas Jermalavicius, a researcher at Estonia's International Center for Defense and Security, highlights NATO's vulnerability to drone attacks from Russia due to inadequate radar detection and high-cost interceptors unsuitable against cheap drones. Military experts warn this could jeopardize NATO air defenses in future conflicts. To address these issues, Jermalavicius advocates involving startups like Estonia’s Frankenburg Technologies, which develops affordable anti-drone systems. Frankenburg's CEO Krusti Salm aims to create a system ten times cheaper than current short-range interceptors. This approach seeks to disrupt traditional procurement patterns and accelerate technological advancements in defense against drone threats.

Key Topics & Entities

Tomas Jermalavicius ×240% Frankenburg Technologies 50% Estonia ×260% Russia ×370% NATO ×480%

Keywords

russian drones 90% drone defense 90% nato airspace 85% anti-drone systems 80% startup solutions 80% frankenburg technologies 80% estonia startups 75% cost-benefit balance 75% nato vulnerabilities 70% radar limitations 65%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

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Source

Deutsche Welle (DW)

Political Lean

Center (-0.10)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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russian drones drone defense nato airspace anti-drone systems startup solutions frankenburg technologies estonia startups cost-benefit balance nato vulnerabilities radar limitations

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