Mark Rutte

NATO Turns to Jets Against Drones as Allies Push Ukraine-Style Defenses

NATO is increasingly relying on fighter jets to intercept drones that have crossed into allied airspace, underscoring how quickly the alliance’s air-defense posture is being tested by low-cost, high-volume threats. One frontline ally says the answer is not more expensive aircraft alone, but a layered defense modeled on Ukraine’s battlefield experience, where drones are detected, tracked and destroyed first by cheaper systems before jets are scrambled.