
Mass-Produced Drones Upend NATO Air Defenses
Cheap Shahed-136 drones, mass-produced for tens of thousands, are exposing gaps in NATO’s air defenses during a 2025 incursion. The attack strains expensive interceptor missiles and prompts a shift to layered, affordable countermeasures—drone-on-drone interceptors, electronic warfare, laser/energy options, and Ukraine-inspired tactics—to deter swarms without draining resources.