NATO launches Black Sea air drills and pursues low‑cost anti‑drone technologies

NATO carried out two combined air operations over the Black Sea on 25 and 30 June, integrating Romanian and Greek F‑16 fighters, UK Eurofighter Typhoons, US B‑52 Stratofortress bombers, a Romanian Patriot surface‑to‑air missile system and support assets such as an AWACS and a multirole transport aircraft. The missions, coordinated by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre, were designed to test integrated air‑defence and missile‑defence capabilities across the Black Sea and Baltic regions.

At the same time, NATO is reassessing how to counter the growing threat of inexpensive commercial drones. Intercepting a low‑cost drone with fighter jets can cost over €85,000 per sortie, prompting the alliance to seek cheaper, industry‑driven solutions. Recent incidents of drone incursions over Romania, Lithuania and German airspace have highlighted the financial and operational challenges of the current “Eastern Sentry” interception protocol.

As part of these efforts, the United States’ Project Flytrap was demonstrated during the Saber Strike 26 exercise in Lithuania. U.S. cavalry units, British paratroopers and more than 50 private‑sector technologies—including lightweight radars, RF jammers, kinetic anti‑drone drones and AI‑linked data networks—were tested to provide a flexible, cost‑effective defence against low‑cost aerial threats.