15:09 11-09-2025

NATO Spends €1.2M Using F-35 Jets to Shoot Down Cheap Drones

By Airman 1st Class Mason Hargrove - https://www.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2003221710/mediaid/7009203/, Public Domain, Link

NATO used F-35 jets and costly Sidewinder missiles to down drones over Poland, spending €1.2M while hitting only a few targets. Alliance seeks new defense options.

According to Bild, NATO deployed F-35 fighter jets to intercept unidentified drones over Polish territory. The mission, however, came at a steep price — at least €1.2 million.

Despite the cost, the results were limited. Alliance aircraft managed to bring down only a small number of drones. The F-35s themselves struck about three targets, using AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles valued at roughly €400,000 each. NATO representatives acknowledged that such operations cannot be carried out regularly, as the drones destroyed cost only a few thousand euros apiece.

For now, the alliance is uncertain how to respond to the incident. Options under consideration include reinforcing air defenses along NATO’s eastern flank by sending additional fighter aircraft, deploying Patriot and IRIS-T missile systems, and expanding troop presence in the region.

Another idea discussed is a «deterrence mission» modeled on the Baltic Sentry patrols in the Baltic Sea. A further possibility could be closer cooperation with Ukraine in order to draw on its experience in countering drone attacks.