United to win: Lithuania tests Ukrainian SkyFortress system to detect low-flying drones
Lithuania is testing the Ukrainian-developed SkyFortress airspace monitoring system to detect and track low-flying drones and other potential airborne threats.
Lithuania plans to deploy SkyFortress as the first stage of its air defense network to detect and track potential threats before intercepting them if necessary.
According to the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense, the system operates using artificial intelligence. It analyzes the acoustic and electromagnetic signatures of airborne targets, enabling detection and tracking of low-flying drones and cruise missiles. The system also classifies detected targets in real time.
The trials will demonstrate how SkyFortress operates directly under Lithuanian conditions, specifically testing its ability to detect and identify low-flying drones across national territory.
Lithuanian authorities explained that choosing existing Ukrainian technology meets the need to adapt to shifting aerial threats. Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Robertas Kaunas noted that instead of creating new systems from scratch, the country can adapt solutions already operating in Ukraine.
The pilot project involves more than direct tracking of aerial targets. Under the contract signed by the parties this summer, data collected by sensors will undergo processing using digital acoustic and radio-frequency signature libraries built on unclassified data.
Personnel training forms a separate component of the project. Consequently, implementation will test both SkyFortress's technical capabilities and personnel readiness to operate the system.
The trials take place as Lithuania and other Baltic nations step up measures to protect their airspace, driven in part by Russia's war against Ukraine and a growing number of reports regarding potential aerial threats in the region.
The Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense views SkyFortress as an element of a broader air defense network. The defense ministry expects the system to strengthen capabilities across multiple stages—from threat detection and identification to potential interception and neutralization.
Background
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda previously suggested that Russia might intentionally allow drones entering the territory of Lithuania, other Baltic states, or Poland to veer off course to "keep society on edge."
Overnight on September 15, NATO fighter jets destroyed a drone that violated Lithuanian airspace. According to Lithuanian officials, the drone entered the country from Belarus. Explosive ordnance disposal experts neutralized an explosive device discovered at the crash site.
On September 16, Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned a Belarusian representative and handed over a note of protest regarding the violation of Lithuania's state border and airspace.
Lithuania also plans to reinforce physical security at the new Gižai substation under construction near Russia's Kaliningrad region, equipping the facility with specialized structures designed to protect transformers from drone strikes.
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2 of October 2026
