EU nations send anti-drone systems, radars to Denmark
Louise Rasmussen |
France, Germany and Sweden will send military personnel and anti-drone systems to Denmark to boost security at this week’s European summits in Copenhagen, after drone incursions that forced Denmark to shut several airports.
Denmark is due to host EU leaders on Wednesday, followed by a summit on Thursday of the wider, 47-member European Political Community. It has already said it has increased security around the events after the drone sightings.
Drones disrupted air traffic at six Danish airports last week, including at Copenhagen, the Nordic region’s busiest, in what Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called a hybrid attack on her nation.
Denmark has stopped short of saying definitively who it believes is responsible, but Frederiksen has suggested it could be Moscow, calling Russia the primary “country that poses a threat to European security”.
The Kremlin denies any suggestion that it was involved in the Danish incidents.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a post on social media X that Sweden would send “Counter-UAS” – Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
Kristersson confirmed his country had also shipped “a handful” of radar systems to Denmark.
Swedish police separately said they would send a significant force to Copenhagen at Denmark’s request, and that Norwegian law enforcement officers would also take part.
France announced that it would be sending a Fennec military helicopter, as well as a team of 35 staff who would handle aspects of anti-drone work.
Germany will deploy around 40 soldiers to Copenhagen to help with detecting, identifying and defending against drones, a Berlin government spokesperson told reporters in a briefing on the EU summit on Monday.
The operation will last until October 7 and the soldiers will carry the appropriate equipment with them, the spokesperson said.
On Sunday, Denmark ordered a ban on civilian drone flights, after drones were observed at several military facilities overnight.
Estonia and Poland requested a consultation with other NATO members last week, after around 20 Russian drones crossed into Poland and Russian MiG-31 jets entered Estonian air space in separate incidents.
The NATO military alliance on Saturday said it was upgrading its mission in the Baltic Sea in response to the situation in Denmark, and a German air defence frigate arrived in Copenhagen on Sunday to assist with airspace surveillance.
Reuters
