In the coming months, the European Union will propose a five-year strategy for joint rearmament and strengthening of defense capabilities, Bloomberg reported, citing internal EU documentation.
According to the newspaper, the main goal of the EU’s “ambitious” plan is to “make Europe combat—ready by 2030.” The plan involves the launch of coalition projects in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles and air defense. Among the key initiatives are the projects European Drone Defense (“European protection against drones”) and Eastern Flank Watch (“Eastern Watch”).
A special fund of up to 1 billion euros will be created to finance European military programs, the publication says.
“The plan assumes that by the end of 2027, 40% of EU defense purchases will be carried out jointly, which is more than double the current figure,” Bloomberg noted.
Fully-finished drone and air defense systems are planned to be deployed by 2027. They intend to complete the implementation of all other projects within the framework of the general military strategy by 2030, the publication said.
Earlier, the EU countries began implementing a new drone defense doctrine, according to which cheap interceptor drones, distributed sensors and autonomous control systems should combat the “Russian threat” of UAVs.
