Dinka Dinkova, from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS), revealed on Wednesday 3 June that, as part of the priority capabilities, the coalition on drones and counter-drone systems was “extremely active” and brought together 28 countries.
“Member States are very active in this area and we are supporting them through the instruments at our disposal”, she explained during a hearing in the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence, recalling that “drones and counter-drone capabilities have become essential to Europe’s defence capacity, particularly for the protection of its territory and critical infrastructure”.
According to Ms Dinkova, under the SAFE instrument, nearly €7 billion in submitted projects target small drones, large drones and counter-drone systems. Under the European Defence Fund, nearly €1 billion has already been invested in research and development on drones and counter-drone systems, and additional funding is planned in the coming years, she added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)