NATO on Thursday said it had launched a new platform to help its 32 member countries buy tried-and-tested anti-drone equipment faster, as incursions have fuelled fears about Russia.
Claudio Palestini, head of innovation and technology adoption at NATO, said the Western military alliance was offering a “very simple system” similar to an online e-commerce outlet to purchase the capabilities.
Officials said NATO had selected what it viewed as a range of the best performing and value-for-money equipment after a public tender and evaluation period of several months.
The products — made by firms from Britain, France, Germany, and the United States — are available for purchase or long-term rental by NATO countries.
The equipment — which costs up to $28 million — is aimed at protecting borders and strategic sites, and includes a raft of different technologies including electronic jamming and interceptor drones.
NATO nations including the Baltic states, Romania and Poland have faced a series of drone incursions as part of the spillover from Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The alliance has so far had to use jets firing expensive missiles to shoot down the much cheaper drones, an approach that officials say is not economically viable in the long run.
