OMM Newsroom
Lithuania has begun consultations with NATO on revising procedures for intercepting drones that enter its airspace, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said, according to Anadolu Agency, citing broadcaster LRT.
The consultations follow an incident on Sunday in which a suspected Ukrainian drone crossed into Lithuania from Poland and exploded.
Sinkevicius said Monday that current rules require fighter pilots to visually identify an object before using force, even if radar has detected it. Cloud cover and other adverse weather conditions can prevent pilots from confirming what they are tracking.
He said he expected the consultations to be completed within about a month. NATO could leave decisions on intercepting such objects to national authorities, he added.
Lithuanian officials said the drone that crashed was Ukrainian and carried explosives. Ukraine apologized, saying it had lost contact with one of its drones during an attack.
The incident prompted a review of Lithuania’s air-defense response and raised questions about how quickly the country can neutralize unidentified objects entering NATO airspace.
Sinkevicius also said Lithuania would examine whether its procedures could be changed to allow action based on radar detection, without requiring visual confirmation.
