Latvia's skies are becoming unsafe for civil aviation.
With the introduction of new procedures, the NAF may shoot down a civilian aircraft.
After one of the UAVs that flew into Latvian airspace last week was not shot down, procedures were revised and the decision-making chain shortened to allow for faster responses in the future. Defense Minister Reivis Melanis stated this on Monday on the Latvian television program "Morning Panorama", reports LETA.
The minister explained that now UAV intercept teams operating directly on site, who identify the target and can act independently, will now have more decision-making powers. At the same time, the command center will be able to cancel the mission if the allied planes enter the threat area and there is a risk to his safety.
Melanis said that he personally, together with the commanders on the eastern border, reviewed the entire decision-making chain. According to him, some of the additional "safety" introduced by the Latvian army itself have been canceled. The minister expressed hope that after these changes they will be shot down as UAVs in the future.
In explaining the previous failure, the minister admitted that the UAV was detected and subsequently an intercepting UAV, but due to lack of experience and perhaps also the uniqueness of the existing procedures, it was not possible to shoot down the target. Melanis apologized to the residents for what happened.
The minister explained that until now Latvia also relied on allied aircraft to intercept drones. If an intercepting UAV and allied aircraft are in the air at the same time, additional coordination is required so that an attempt to destroy the UAV does not endanger the aircraft. This approval took time.
The minister expressed hope that the harmonization of procedures and technical solutions will enable the successful destruction of drones in the future.
"Basically, Melanis simplified the procedures for destroying flying objects according to the Ukrainian scenario and using the Ukrainian experience.