Lithuania's defence ministry is developing plans for an artificial intelligence-powered airspace surveillance network that would combine data from radars, surveillance cameras, mobile phones and other sensors to improve the detection of drones and other airborne threats, LRT TV and LRT.lt, the country’s public broadcast network, reported on August 3.

The proposal follows several recent security incidents, including Russian-made Gerbera drones entering Lithuanian airspace and Ukrainian drones crossing the country while heading towards targets in Russia.

In some cases, the drones crashed and were captured on civilian cameras, while others disappeared from radar and were never recovered. Officials have also pointed to the recent Russian missile incident in Poland as evidence of the need to strengthen regional air defence.

The ministry has asked industry to develop the concept, with the aim of linking all available detection systems into a single AI-driven platform capable of identifying and tracking aerial objects more effectively, LRT TV and LRT.lt reported.

Industry representatives described the proposal as highly ambitious. Vincas Jurgutis of the Lithuanian Defence and Security Industry Association said the project would be challenging even by international standards, while retired Major Darius Antanaitis said the network could eventually integrate surveillance cameras, microphones and even mobile phone cameras.

Experts say such a system could improve the detection of small drones, which often evade conventional radar. Vilnius Gediminas Technical University is already working with US and Ukrainian partners on a Nato project that combines artificial intelligence with advanced sensor technologies.

Lithuania has allocated at least €2bn to strengthen air defence over the next four years, while opposition politicians argue that a further €4bn-4.5bn will be needed by 2030 to create a comprehensive layered air defence system protecting critical infrastructure and major population centres, LRT TV and LRT.lt reported.