Lithuania seeks NATO changes to drone shootdown rules after airspace incursion

Lithuania seeks NATO rule changes to allow fighter jets to shoot down unidentified drones in poor visibility after an explosive-laden drone crossed its airspace. Two NATO fighter jets fly over Vilnius, Lithuania. The Baltic country wants NATO to change its air policing rules after fighter jets did not fire on a drone in Lithuanian airspace Oct. 18, 2026, because pilots couldn’t see it through clouds and fog. (E. Blažys/LRT) Lithuania wants NATO to ease restrictions on shooting down drones that enter its airspace, allowing fighter pilots to open fire even when poor visibility prevents them from identifying their targets. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius told national broadcaster LRT on Monday that he had requested consultations with the alliance after a suspected drone entered Lithuania from Poland a day earlier, prompting NATO fighter jets to respond.

The drone was Ukrainian and carried explosives, Sinkevicius said. Ukraine apologized, saying the aircraft may have been diverted by Russia, LRT reported. Sinkevicius said he expected consultations with NATO to take about a month. The proposal comes amid a broader debate in the 32-country bloc over when pilots can use force against unidentified aircraft, as drones increasingly cross the alliance’s eastern flank during the war in Ukraine. The pilots were unable to visually identify the object because of cloudy weather and did not shoot it down,