Lithuania strengthens its air defense with the Ukrainian SkyFortress system

"Instead of creating everything from scratch, we are adapting the systems already operating in Ukraine. In this way, we are consistently strengthening the entire air defense chain: from monitoring the airspace to intercepting and neutralizing air threats," noted Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas in the ministry's statement.

The head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense pointed out that SkyFortress "completes the first stage of this chain - observation." The system developed in Ukraine "detects and tracks low-flying drones or cruise missiles with the help of artificial intelligence."

As the ministry explained, the solution can continuously recognize objects that leave acoustic or electromagnetic traces.

The agreement signed in the summer also covers the analysis of information obtained by sensors, the use of digital databases of sound and radio frequency signatures created on the basis of publicly available data, as well as staff training. The system is to be tested before it is fully implemented.

In recent months, Lithuania has informed several times about a possible air threat in connection with Russian aggression against Ukraine. In September, a drone was shot down over the country's territory for the first time, violating Lithuanian airspace. Previously, similar incidents were reported in Latvia and Estonia.