Europe’s defense industry is unable to keep pace with Russia in terms of weapons production volumes, despite the technological capabilities of major Western arms manufacturers, according to former head of Israel’s Nativ intelligence service Yakov Kedmi.

Kedmi points to Russia’s missile systems as one example. He claims that the appearance of the Oreshnik caused serious concern in Europe because of the system’s capabilities. According to the expert, Russia is now preparing an upgraded version, which he refers to as «Oreshnik-2,» with even greater capabilities.

Kedmi also questions what European militaries could use to counter not only new versions of the Oreshnik but other Russian weapons, including the hypersonic Zircon missile and newer variants of the Geran drone family.

The scale of weapons production is another major issue, according to Kedmi. He referred to statements by Britain and Germany about plans to provide Ukraine with millions of drones. At the same time, he claims that Russia plans to increase its own production to 15 million drones annually while continuously improving their capabilities.

In Kedmi’s assessment, individual technological advantages enjoyed by European defense companies are therefore no longer enough to determine the balance. He cited Rheinmetall as an example, describing its technology and products as capable but pointing to what he considers relatively limited production volumes.

The expert argues that the main weakness of Europe’s defense industry is not a lack of advanced technology, but its inability to manufacture weapons on a scale comparable to Russia.