Airchief does not rule out drone incidents in our area

According to the Air Chief of the Austrian Armed Forces, Major General Gerfried Promberger, the procurement of drones has already been initiated as part of the 2032+ development plan. Regarding drone defense, he emphasized that often it is not the shooting down but the crashing of incoming objects that is the more sensible option.

It is not a question of "if an incident will also occur in Austria, but only when," Promberger does not see Austria as immune to incidents like those at other European airports. According to APA information, there have been unusually many sightings of drones over and near barracks in recent weeks and months.

Shooting Down vs. Crashing the Drone

The notion that drones must primarily be countered by shooting them down was countered by the Major General. Often it is better to observe the flying objects and let them crash. Destroying such an object would scatter debris widely and often cause more damage than a single impact in a limited area. Therefore, it is important to know what you are dealing with. "Sometimes it is better to let it crash and have minimal damage than if I shoot it down and it spreads over a large area."

In this regard, Promberger also referred to the Russian Gerbera drones flown into Poland on September 9/10. Many of them were not shot down by NATO partner countries but were deliberately left in the air until they crashed. This often makes sense for the reasons mentioned above, emphasized the Major General. This was clearly demonstrated by an air-to-air missile from a western F-16 fighter jet that was misdirected during countermeasures. It was intended to shoot down one of the drones but accidentally hit the roof of a house in the eastern Polish village of Wyryki, 15 kilometers from the Belarus border, causing severe damage.

"Goldhaube" and Eurofighter

Incoming objects would be detected long before reaching domestic airspace, Promberger emphasized. Furthermore, it is assumed that the air defense of neighboring countries will also address such threats. It is primarily a question of detection, and Austria is well-positioned with the "Goldhaube" system; in addition, there are other facilities and contacts with neighboring countries.

If it becomes apparent that an object could still penetrate Austrian airspace, the Eurofighter is a suitable means for identification - and if necessary, for shooting down using the onboard cannon or the Iris-T air-to-air missile. "But I will only fire weapons if I have to," Promberger also emphasized the principle of proportionality here: "Why should I shoot down something that threatens no one?". There is also the possibility of calculating the "crash kinematics," which estimates how the debris would spread in the event of a shootdown.

"In the State of 'Deepest Peace'"

With the military actions in Ukraine, where large swarms of armed Geran drones regularly cause significant damage, the situation here cannot be compared at all: "We are in the state of 'deepest peace'," said the Major General.

That something can still happen from time to time was illustrated by Promberger with the example of a military drone Tu-141, apparently launched from Ukrainian territory, in Zagreb, Croatia, in March 2022. The 14-meter-long and more than six-ton reconnaissance drone flew through the airspace of two NATO member states before crashing near a residential area in Zagreb.

The increasing relevance of drones was also emphasized by the Major General with reference to the Ukrainian intelligence operation "Spider Web" in June, where drones launched from trucks caused severe damage in Russia during attacks on Russian military airfields, or the operation "Rising Lion" in mid-June, where drones were used by Israel to disable, among other things, Iranian radar installations.

Air Traffic Control Before Shooting Down

In incidents like drone sightings at several European airports, the priority is not to shoot down the drones, but air traffic control - by suspending flight operations, according to Promberger. Further steps would then be taken in cooperation with the police and the armed forces, depending on the threat situation.

Before the defense or use of drones as an offensive weapon, reconnaissance comes first, Promberger explained - accordingly, the priority of the armed forces in acquiring drone systems is also in reconnaissance capability. The first of 315 "backpack" drone systems are already on the way, 15 systems from the manufacturer ELBIT (MAGNI-X) have already been delivered. The range is over five kilometers. In the future, every unit is to be equipped with such reconnaissance drones that can be carried on the back. By 2032, 1,000 systems are to be procured.

Larger reconnaissance drones (RAVEN RQ-11B) have also been ordered, with twelve systems expected to arrive by the end of the year. Further systems - also with long range - are to follow in the years from 2026/27.

Currently Little Point Defense Possible

Currently, the armed forces have only limited options for drone defense. Although there are jammer systems for electronic disruption, which have also been successfully tested. However, for shooting down, only the (currently being modernized) twin anti-aircraft gun "Oerlikon" and the (shoulder-launched) Mistral anti-aircraft missile are available. Promberger was particularly proud of the upgrade of the Oerlikon system and its future equipment with so-called Ahead ammunition, which allows for significantly more targeted destruction of targets. The first modernized guns will arrive in 2026, the last in 2028.

The order for 36 units of the "Skyranger 30" anti-aircraft turret, which will be mounted on new "Pandur" wheeled armored vehicles and will be used in the short range (Short Range/SHORAD) up to 15 kilometers, is also already known. The first systems are expected to arrive in 2027, with procurement to be completed in 2030.

Promberger also referred to the planned acquisitions beyond short distances. The acquisition is to take place as part of the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), a model decision has not yet been made, with the IRIS-T model considered a potential candidate (depending on the variant up to 25 kilometers (IRIS-T SLS) or about 40 kilometers (IRIS-T SLM)). The British CAMM system is considered an alternative candidate.

Promberger did not want to comment further on financing, but pointed out that the acquisitions are already budgeted as part of the 2032+ development plan. Recently, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) expressed confidence that all necessary acquisitions will be possible despite budget constraints.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.