On March 10, a Tu-141 big, old-technology, 14-meter, 6.2-ton drone launched from explosives-laden Ukraine lost contact with its pilot, flew over two NATO countries and ended up and ended up crashing undisturbed in Zagreb, Croatia, next to a student dormitory.
The drone, whose cruising speed is similar to that of commercial aircraft, was flying at low altitude when it entered Romania. Less than four minutes later, it crossed into Hungary, according to the Romanian Defense Ministry.
Then, according to the Wall Street Journal, it entered Croatian airspace to finally crash just before midnight in a residential area, causing no injuries but damaging infrastructure.
Four days later, a Russian Orlan-10 reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft crashed in Romania - another NATO member - about 93 miles from the Ukrainian border when it ran out of fuel.
On the same day, another Russian spy drone crossed into Poland from Ukraine before re-entering Ukrainian airspace, where it was shot down, the Ukrainian military said.
NATO's new "headache," the U.S. newspaper notes, is now "holes" in the alliance's air defense system.
How did drones pass over member countries without raising an alarm?
[BR][BR]A Croatian from the European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol, Goran Regzepovic, said the Ukrainian drone was spotted by NATO countries in the region, but none intercepted it with fighters or ground fire, even though it was a potentially hostile flying vehicle.
NATO is investigating the case and has stepped up surveillance flights in the region, said an alliance spokesman, who however declined to comment on why no action was taken to intercept the drones.
Dangers also for civil aviation
The incidents underline the dangers of war for civil aviation in Europe.
In addition to stray drones, powerful electronic devices used by warring parties to "blind" the radar and missiles of their enemies are interfering with the communications of commercial aircraft.
Such phenomena have been observed in the airspace of Finland, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and even in the Eastern Mediterranean.
"How is it possible that an unsophisticated drone flew undetected for almost an hour in the airspace of NATO member states and nobody noticed it?" asked Croatian President Zoran Milanovic Milanovic.
Source: in.gr
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
