5 NATO allies agree to produce low-cost drones

(Victor Jack – Politico) Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the U.K. on Friday said they would work to jointly develop new low-cost autonomous drones as NATO scrambles to bolster its air defenses against Russia. Defense ministers from the five countries — known as the E5 — said they would launch an initiative called Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms (LEAP) with the aim of producing drones within a year. “Collectively, we have some of the best kit on the entire planet for shooting down air threats,” British Deputy Defense Minister Luke Pollard told reporters after a meeting in Kraków, Poland. “We feel confident that this is the very first step of what we hope will be a series of initiatives.” – 5 NATO allies agree to produce low-cost drones – POLITICO