ŠIAULIAI AIR BASE, Lithuania — A Spanish fighter wing deployed to the Baltics for air patrol missions alongside anti-drone defenses for the first time, a reaction to growing uncrewed threats to European infrastructure.
Spain’s 15th Wing arrived at Šiauliai Air Base in December to begin a four-month rotation contributing to NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, designed to protect the airspace around Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The Crow counter-drone system came with it.
The 15th Wing has deployed to the region on multiple occasions, but this is the first time that the unit has been accompanied by counter-drone technology.
The move underscores how NATO militaries are rethinking the defense of their critical infrastructure as drones increasingly become a headache for countries across Europe, flying over sensitive sites and exposing vulnerabilities.
Recent drone incursions into allied airspace have pushed NATO countries to acquire and field new counter-drone systems, especially on the alliance’s Eastern edge, where countries share a border with Russia. Some of the defensive technology has already been tested on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Critical base protection
Drones have become a growing threat in recent years, especially in combat scenarios like Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, they are rapidly becoming an issue for countries at peace; in Europe, for instance, a string of incidents over the past several months has triggered major concern across the continent.
In September, nearly 20 Russian drones penetrated Polish airspace during an attack against Ukraine, pushing NATO forces to scramble fighter jets in response and even shoot some of them down.
Jake Epstein/Business Insider
Days later, Romania scrambled jets to escort a Russian drone out of its airspace after it crossed over during an attack on Ukraine.
And in the months that followed, small, unidentified drones appeared across Europe, flying above or near airports, bases, military facilities, and other sensitive locations. Western officials have blamed Russia for some of the incidents. Moscow has rejected these allegations.
NATO forces have reacted to the string of incursions by deploying more assets, such as fighter jets, to the Eastern flank and surging new counter-drone technology to the area as well.
The 15th Wing’s arrival at Šiauliai in Lithuania with the Crow system underscored its efforts to protect military aircraft and the air base from potential threats, although its range also covers the surrounding city.
Crow is a multi-layer system developed in 2019 by Spanish defense company Indra that is capable of detecting drones using radars, cameras, and sensors, and then downing them with signal interference — a type of electronic warfare — from fixed or mobile positions. The first system was delivered to Spain’s military in 2022.
Robertas Kaunas, Lithuania’s minister of national defense, praised Spain’s decision to bring the Crow system on the fighter wing’s deployment, calling the move “yet another proof of allied solidarity and shared responsibility for European security.”
“Today, as the Baltic region is faced with relentless provocative actions from the east, each decision to enhance the airspace guard is a strategic signal,” Kaunas told his Spanish counterpart by phone at the start of December, according to a readout of the call.
Shifting tactics
EMIL HELMS/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
Lt. Col. Fernando Allen, the commander of the Spanish detachment deployed to Šiauliai, shared that NATO militaries are, indeed, facing a new challenge in drones.
Since the September incidents, he told Business Insider during a visit to the air base this week, the Spanish Air Force has been focusing more on training for counter-drone operations.
Drones represent a threat that is very different from the traditional crewed aircraft on which NATO air policing missions have historically focused, as they can fly at slower speeds and lower altitudes and execute more erratic movements compared to planes.
“We are making all these kinds of new procedures — new tactics — facing this kind of threat,” Allen said. He declined to go into specifics on the changes.
The incursions have prompted discussions among NATO military leaders about how to intercept cheap drones without relying on expensive missiles fired by fighter jets. It’s a dilemma that the 15th Wing — like other units across the alliance — is well aware of.
Maj. Natalia Sanjuán Cortés, the 15th Wing’s public affairs officer, told Business Insider that the unit is reviewing the capabilities that it needs to fight against drones.
“Because, maybe, the fighters are not the best option,” she said. “And we are thinking about other systems.”
