This Friday a piece of Austrian military history will be written in Bern: Austria will commit itself in a declaration of intent to the “European Sky Shield Initiative”, ESSI for short.
ESSI is one of the largest and most complex armaments projects in Europe. 17 countries, including Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and reportedly neutral Switzerland, want to jointly set up a comprehensive air defense shield over large parts of Europe.
“Sky Shield” is designed to fend off three threats:
- Attacks by drones or threats by misguided drones
- Threat of military aircraft in European airspace
- Ballistic or nuclear missile threat in European airspace
IRIS-T, Patriot, Arrow 3
As a first step, three defense systems with different ranges will be purchased at European level: the IRIS-T SLM developed in Germany, the American Patriot system, which is currently used in Ukraine, among others, and the Arrow 3 from Israel.
As part of the 2032 development plan, Austria also has ambitions to acquire an intermediate-range missile system, but for now we mainly need to bring in radar data until it is acquired, it said.
“It’s Best to Go Together”
“The threat situation has increased enormously due to the Russian offensive war in Ukraine,” said Chancellor Karl Nehammer. “We must and will take precautions to protect our country from the threat of drone or missile strikes. Airspace surveillance works best together in a European network.”
costs already charged
And Defense Secretary Klaudia Tanner adds: “It is about participating in a protective shield that serves to avert danger. We have already taken financial precautions into account in budget planning.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
