The European Commission has rejected a request from the three Baltic States for EUR 500mn of EU funding to develop an anti-drone defence system, LRT reports. Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said that the system would have combined drone detection, AI, and interception technology into an integrated air-defence system. The European Commissioner for Defence and…
NATO fighters shot down a drone that had entered Latvian airspace in the early morning hours of 14 August 2026, LSM reported. Two Italian Eurofighter jets based at Lithuania’s Siauliai Air Base and two Turkish F-16 jets from Estonia’s Ämari Air Base were involved in the operation, LSM reported. The drone was destroyed by one…
Estonia has signed an agreement with the European Commission on up to EUR 2.34bn in long-term loans for defence investments through the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme, ERR reports. Under the agreement, the loan period will be 45 years. The Ministry of Defence will use the SAFE funding to acquire air defence capabilities,…
Russia may have targeted Lithuania’s embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, in a missile attack on 1 August 2026, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys stated, LRT reports. He said that Lithuania could not rule out the possibility that the attack, which damaged the embassy, was deliberate, pointing out that there were almost no strategic facilities near…
Türkiye’s Turkish Air Force (THK) has deployed some 80 troops and five F-16 fighter jets for the first time to Estonia’s Ämari air base as part of NATO’s Baltic air defence mission, ERR reports. THK replaced the Portuguese Air Force to patrol Baltic airspace until November 2026. Meanwhile, Italian Air Force has taken over responsibility…
Italy has taken over NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, replacing French and Romanian forces, BNS reports. Italy will deploy an air defence contingent of around 200 personnel with four Eurofighter Typhoon (EF-2000) fighter jets to the Siauliai air base in northern Lithuania. The outgoing French and Romanian detachments consisted of about 210 troops with four…
At their summit in the Turkish capital, Ankara, NATO leaders decided to turn the alliance’s rotating Baltic Air Policing mission into an air defence mission, ERR reported. The change will allow NATO fighter aircraft to respond more rapidly to threats in Baltic airspace. NATO’s air operations centre in Uedem, Germany, will have authority to decide…
Latvia will deploy more air defence systems to its eastern border, Defence Minister Raivis Melnis announced, LETA reported. Speaking during a meeting with local government leaders, Melnis said that the deployment would include drones, radars, and interception systems, LSM reported. He thanked Ukraine for providing necessary help. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said that new counter-drone…
The prime ministers of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) countries announced that the group would cooperate with Ukraine on military expertise and training, information sharing, and the development of their defence industries and technology, ERR reports. Joining the summit meeting in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine was ready to supply…
