Five European nations fund low-cost drone defenses using Ukrainian expertise
Feb 22nd 2026
France, Poland, Germany, the UK and Italy launched LEAP to co-produce inexpensive air defenses and autonomous drones after cross-border drone incidents strained European security.
- The E5 countries announced a joint program called LEAP to develop low-cost air defenses and autonomous drones.
- France, Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy pledged millions to co-produce and jointly procure systems using Ukrainian wartime expertise.
- LEAP stands for Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms and will prioritize low-cost kinetic and electronic effectors plus AI-enabled combat payloads.
- Officials cited incidents such as Russian drones entering Polish airspace in September 2025, which forced use of expensive jets to respond, as a reason to match defense costs to threat costs.
- The initiative is part of a broader European defense buildup amid heightened security concerns and criticism of NATO from U.S. President Donald Trump.