Lithuania to Deploy Ukrainian Acoustic Drone Detection System from 2026

Starting in 2026, Lithuania will deploy a Ukrainian-developed acoustic drone detection system, Sky Fortress, to enhance its airspace surveillance capabilities.

Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, General Raimundas Vaikšnoras, announced the development during an interview with national broadcaster LRT. His comments came amid heightened attention to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) incursions, including a July 28 incident where a Shahed-type drone entered Lithuanian airspace and may have crashed on the country’s territory. Search efforts are currently ongoing.

“This year marks the beginning – we’ve allocated funding for the acquisition. Testing is scheduled to take place by the end of the year, and as the Air Force Commander noted today, deployment of these systems will begin next year,” said Vaikšnoras.

The acoustic system—developed in Ukraine—will operate alongside Lithuania’s existing radar infrastructure. According to the General, implementation faced delays due to the technical process of integrating the Ukrainian system with existing American systems. “This is, so to speak, a Ukrainian system that needed to be adapted to our American systems due to certain sensitive nuances,” he explained.

Sky Fortress, together with the Zvook system, has previously drawn attention from NATO states. In 2023, The Economist reported that the systems were privately demonstrated at a military training ground in Europe, where representatives from 11 NATO countries observed successful detection of cruise missile and drone imitators.

Vaikšnoras also stated that Lithuania plans to deploy additional air defense systems near its border with Belarus, underscoring the growing concern over regional drone activity and the need for improved early-warning systems.