Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is considered unprepared for a large-scale airstrike from Russia. This emerged after 19 drones belonging to Moscow flew over NATO member Poland on Wednesday (September 10, 2025).
"No country other than Israel has the capability to withstand a large, sustained air attack. NATO does not yet have that capacity," Sam Cranny-Evans, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told Newsweek on Friday (September 12, 2025).
According to analysts, the main problem is not the quality of European air defense systems, but their limited supply. For several years, large stocks of equipment were diverted to Ukraine, while production of new interceptor missiles was slow.
"Europe has a capable defence system individually, but the volume is not sufficient to defend itself in the event of a major war," said Matthew Savill, Director of Military Science at RUSI.
This situation has prompted European officials to push for the accelerated construction of a"drone wall" as a multi-layered air defense barrier. Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space, emphasized that the European Union must urgently build a"drone wall" along its eastern flank to counter Moscow's threats.
The drone wall concept includes the use of interceptor drones, missiles, cannons, and electronic warfare technology to down or deter enemy drones.
"We need to improve our defenses, but there are no quick fixes," said Steve Wright, a British drone expert.
Defense companies are starting to offer solutions. DroneShield, an Australian anti-drone system provider, claims to have nearly 50 national militaries as clients and has signed a US$40 million contract with a European country. Meanwhile, MARSS is developing an interceptor drone capable of engaging targets from 5 km away at a lower cost than missiles.
"The problem is, Europe and NATO are five years behind. The Middle East has already allocated budgets and built a drone wall, while Europe hasn't done anything," said Johannes Pinl, CEO of MARSS.
Although several European countries have committed to increasing their military budgets, analysts believe that air defense capabilities will only become significant until 2030. Until then, NATO is still seen as facing serious defense gaps if Russia launches a large-scale attack.
