France, Sweden send anti-drone units to Denmark to secure EU summit

PARIS — France sent a military anti-drone unit to Denmark, and Sweden is planning to do the same, as the allies seek to help secure an informal European Union summit in Copenhagen this week against aerial threats, following recent flights of unidentified drones in Danish airspace.

The French military has deployed a team of 35 personnel with a Fennec light helicopter and “active anti-drone capabilities,” the country’s Armed Forces Ministry said in a statement Monday. Meanwhile, Sweden will send a military unit with anti-drone capabilities following a Danish request, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a briefing in Stockholm.

“The main purpose is to protect the Copenhagen area from unwelcome drone visits, drone attacks for a period of time,” Kristersson said, speaking in Swedish.

Denmark in recent days observed unexplained drone activity at several of its airports as well as military locations. So far it’s unclear who is behind the drone activity, though NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said last week Russian involvement can’t be ruled out.

The French detachment was sent to Denmark following a decision by President Emmanuel Macron, according to the French Armed Forces Ministry. The detachment is already operational and will act in full cooperation with Danish authorities, it said.

“This detachment complements the Danish and European resources deployed for this occasion, and illustrates European solidarity in defense against this serious threat,” the ministry said.

Germany also sent anti-drone equipment to Denmark to enhance security during the EU summit, the Danish Ministry of Defence said on Sunday. Meanwhile, the German air-defense frigate Hamburg made a port call in Copenhagen and will support enhanced vigilance as part of operation Baltic Sentry, according to NATO Maritime Command.

Sweden is also sending radar capabilities to be able to detect threats over a wider area, according to Kristersson. He said the Swedish armed forces worked over the weekend to ensure the necessary equipment is now on its way to Copenhagen.

With 44 European prime ministers due to arrive in Copenhagen, Denmark took the risk of the summit being affected or cancelled “very seriously,” according to Kristersson.

Denmark currently lacks any ground-based missile defense after decommissioning its Hawk missile units 20 years ago. The country has been scrambling in past months to secure air defense systems from three different suppliers to build an initial capacity as soon as possible.

Recent violations of European airspace and other incidents show the link between Russia’s war against Ukraine and broader European security, “and for this reason we must continue to counter Russia,” Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said in the briefing with Kristersson.

Russia’s actions right now point to increased risk-taking, according to the Swedish PM. He said the country does not have intelligence or evidence that links the Danish drone flights to Russia, “but we are not naive.”

Andrius Kubilius, the EU commissioner for defense and space on Friday said European plans for a “drone wall” to protect the bloc’s Eastern border against incursions by unmanned aerial vehicles had moved from discussions to concrete actions.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——法国已向丹麦派遣了一支反无人机军事部队，瑞典也计划采取同样的行动，因为最近丹麦领空出现了不明无人机飞行，这些盟国希望帮助确保本周在哥本哈根举行的非正式欧盟峰会免受空中威胁。

法国国防部周一发表声明称，法国军方已部署一支由35人组成的队伍，配备一架“小狐狸”（Fennec）轻型直升机和“主动反无人机能力”。与此同时，瑞典首相乌尔夫·克里斯特松在斯德哥尔摩举行的新闻发布会上表示，应丹麦的请求，瑞典也将派遣一支具备反无人机能力的军事单位。

“主要目的是在一段时间内保护哥本哈根地区免受不受欢迎的无人机访问和无人机袭击，”克里斯特松用瑞典语说道。

近日，丹麦多个机场和军事设施附近出现不明无人机活动。目前尚不清楚幕后黑手是谁，但北约秘书长马克·吕特上周表示，不能排除俄罗斯参与的可能性。

据法国国防部消息，法国派遣分遣队前往丹麦是根据总统马克龙的决定。该分遣队已投入运作，并将与丹麦当局全面合作。

“此次派遣的部队是对丹麦和欧洲为应对这一严重威胁​​而部署的资源的补充，体现了欧洲在防御这一严重威胁​​方面的团结，”国防部表示。

丹麦国防部周日表示，德国也向丹麦运送了反无人机设备，以加强欧盟峰会期间的安全保障。与此同时，据北约海上司令部消息，德国防空护卫舰“汉堡”号停靠哥本哈根港，并将作为“波罗的海哨兵行动”的一部分，加强警戒部署。

克里斯特松表示，瑞典还将提供雷达设备，以便能够探测更大范围内的威胁。他说，瑞典武装部队周末加班加点，确保所需设备目前正在运往哥本哈根的途中。

克里斯特松表示，由于有 44 位欧洲首相即将抵达哥本哈根，丹麦“非常认真地”对待峰会可能受到影响或取消的风险。

丹麦在20年前退役了“鹰”式导弹部队后，目前没有任何陆基导弹防御系统。过去几个月，丹麦一直在努力从三家不同的供应商处采购防空系统，以期尽快建立起初步的防御能力。

瑞典外交大臣玛丽亚·马尔默·斯泰纳加德在与克里斯特松的简报会上表示，最近发生的侵犯欧洲领空事件和其他事件表明，俄罗斯对乌克兰的战争与更广泛的欧洲安全之间存在联系，“因此，我们必须继续对抗俄罗斯”。

瑞典首相表示，俄罗斯目前的行动表明其冒险行为正在增加。他说，瑞典没有情报或证据表明丹麦的无人机飞行与俄罗斯有关，“但我们并非天真无知”。

欧盟国防与空间事务专员安德留斯·库比留斯周五表示，欧洲为保护欧盟东部边界免受无人机入侵而制定的“无人机墙”计划已从讨论阶段过渡到具体行动阶段。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。