The consequences of the downing of a Russian drone in Poland spark controversy within NATO… A 400 thousand Euros cost of missile to down a few thousands worth drone!

The incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace has raised concerns within NATO, which has raised its alert level and reinforced its 24/7 operations, as a Dutch F-35 fighters and German Patriot air defense systems have been deployed to Poland.

However, only a few drones have been shot down, with three confirmed to have been shot down by expensive AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, where a single missile costs over €400,000, while the drone itself is only worth a few thousand Euros!

A NATO official believes that using F-35 fighters against these aircraft is not a practical long-term solution. Therefore, the alliance is exploring alternatives, including:

Strengthening air defenses on the eastern flank with more aircraft and systems such as Patriot and IRIS-T.

Launching a new deterrent mission similar to Baltic Sentry, including warships, submarines, and reconnaissance aircraft, to counter Russian violations.

However, it’s all remains unclear whether all NATO allies support this move or not

The downing of Russian drones over Polish territory has raised concerns in German political circles, amid warnings of the risk of escalating the war in Ukraine.

The Polish government announced that the drones entered airspace from Ukraine, while Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that a large number of them were launched directly from Belarusian territory, a first since the outbreak of the war more than three years ago.

Warsaw reported that it had monitored at least 19 violations, while Belarus announced that it had shot down drones that had deviated from their course due to interception operations.

The latest incident marks the first time Russian drones have been shot down inside Poland, after previously falling within its territory without military intervention.