Five major European nations launch a multi-million euro project to develop and produce low-cost autonomous air defence systems within a year.

KRAKOW: Europe’s five largest military powers are launching a joint project to develop and produce low-cost air defence systems, including autonomous drones and missiles, within 12 months.

The initiative, driven by lessons from the war in Ukraine, aims to provide a cost-effective alternative to expensive traditional missile defences. Ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK announced the collaboration in the Polish city of Krakow.

The group, known as the European Group of Five Defence Ministers, is pushing to bolster continental defence capabilities. This move comes amid growing European uncertainty over the United States’ long-term security commitment.

Britain’s Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard, confirmed the significant financial commitment. “It’s a multi-million pound, multi-million euro commitment… to step up this technology,” Pollard stated.

He expressed strong optimism about the project’s rapid timeline. “We’re really hopeful that this will produce an effector that… will be in production within 12 months.”

In military terms, an “effector” is the component that produces a physical effect, like intercepting a target. The UK government detailed the initiative in a separate statement, naming it the ‘Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms’ (LEAP) project.

The first complete systems under the LEAP initiative are scheduled for delivery by 2027. Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasised the urgency of the technological response.

“We have just signed a very important commitment on the joint development of drone-based strike capabilities, low-cost, joint production, and joint procurement of low-cost drone effectors and payloads,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

He described the project as a necessary and swift adaptation to modern warfare. “This is the challenge of our times – technologies are changing… and we must respond very quickly.”

 The Sun Malaysia