PARIS – The Netherlands plans to cobble together an air-defense system by fitting a remote-controlled weapon system on wheeled armor to provide its infantry units with mobile anti-drone capacity, plugging a capability gap ahead of the first delivery of Rheinmetall’s Skyranger 30 in 2028.

The Dutch need counter unmanned aerial systems or C-UAS that can be delivered quickly in response to the growing drone threat, State Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman wrote in a letter to parliament on Monday. The new systems are part of €1 billion to €2.5 billion of additional spending on counter-drone equipment.

With drones now reportedly accounting for the majority of front-line casualties in Ukraine, European countries are scrambling for stop-gap measures to protect ground troops from the growin

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