NATO in Trouble: Russian Drones Worth a Thousand Dollars Downing Missiles Worth Millions

As drone attacks on critical infrastructure increase, NATO finds itself facing a complex military and economic dilemma, revealed by the alliance's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, during a recent interview with Bloomberg.

Rutte confirmed that NATO is taking the flight of Russian drones over the airspace of several member countries "very seriously," but he also acknowledged that the alliance is facing a costly challenge that is difficult to sustain, saying:

"We cannot continue to shoot down drones that cost only 1,000 or 2,000 dollars using missiles that cost between half a million to a million dollars!".

Despite this challenge, Rutte pointed out that the alliance is quickly learning from the Ukrainian experience in countering these drones, explaining that there are new technologies under development that will be used "in the coming weeks," without disclosing details.

He also admitted that NATO, in the short term, lacks the appropriate equipment to intercept low-cost drones, but efforts are ongoing to ensure the availability of modern interception technologies that match traditional means in efficiency.

Rutte's statements came following a series of airspace violations that several NATO member countries faced using Russian drones, which was seen as a real test of the alliance's credibility, at a time when Moscow is launching increasing attacks on infrastructure facilities in Ukraine.

In a related context, Russia revealed last July what could be the largest drone manufacturing facility in the world, located inside the "Yalabuga" factory in the city of Yalabuga in the Republic of Tatarstan, about 1,700 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

This factory produces thousands of drones monthly of the Iranian model "Shahed 136," which Russia has renamed "Geran-2." Each drone is about 3.5 meters long and can carry a warhead weighing 50 kilograms.

These drones fly at speeds of nearly 180 km/h and can reach targets up to 1,800 kilometers away.

They are equipped with guidance systems based on satellites and are often launched from modified civilian trucks.

Their black color makes them difficult to detect by radars, increasing the difficulty of intercepting them.

In a notable development, informed sources and confidential documents according to "Reuters" revealed that Chinese experts in the field of drones traveled to Russia to participate in the development of these military drones.

These activities are taking place within a state-owned Russian company that is subject to Western sanctions.

With the rise of drone attacks and the challenges of costly defense, NATO countries are currently racing to find effective and economical solutions to counter the "thousand-dollar weapon" that is perplexing the world's strongest military alliance.