MILAN — Two Italian Eurofighter jets, part of NATO’s Baltic Task Force, destroyed an unidentified drone during the night after it violated Lithuanian airspace, marking the second interception of this kind in a month.
A little after midnight, Italian Eurofighter F-2000 fighter jets scrambled from Šiauliai Air Base in northern Lithuania and shot down a hostile drone that had entered the country’s airspace without authorization, according to the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
“The Italian crews intercepted the unmanned aircraft, neutralizing it in compliance with the operational procedures established by the Alliance,” the Italian Ministry of Defense wrote on X.
The incident marks the second time in 30 days that the Italian Air Force has responded to airspace incursions. On August 14, personnel operating under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission also deployed from Šiauliai and shot down another unidentified drone that had violated Latvian airspace, the Italian MoD said.
Lithuanian authorities didn’t say who was responsible for the incursion, but reportedly suspect it entered the country’s airspace from Belarus. A spokesperson for the the Lithuanian Armed Forces told Breaking Defense in an email statement that “there was a high probability that the drone carried an explosive payload,” but that had not yet been “conclusively established.”
“The investigation is ongoing, and a definitive answer will only be possible once all of the wreckage has been examined,” the spokesperson said, adding that this was the “first shoot-down” of its kind in the country’s airspace.
It remains unclear what specific weapon system the Italian pilots used to down the drone in Lithuania, but it seems the Italian air force, like others, appreciate the need to take out UAVs in a relative cost-effective manner. On Aug. 21, the US State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale worth $364 million to Italy for 5,031 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II guidance systems and related equipment manufactured by BAE Systems.
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While no official contract has been announced so far, the kit would offer a cheaper alternative for Italian pilots to neutralize low-cost drones, rather than firing considerably more expensive missiles such as AMRAAM. In May, the UK Ministry of Defense announced that it had integrated the APKWS onto the Eurofighter and was using it in operations in the Middle East against cheap drones.
In December, the Lithuanian government declared a state of emergency after a notable uptick in balloon and drone intrusions, many of which came from neighboring Belarus. The BBC, citing unnamed officials, reported that in 2025 alone around 600 balloons linked to smuggling and nearly 200 drones crossed into Vilnius’ airspace.
The newest interception also comes amid a backdrop of a string of suspicious incidents on the ground across Europe, some of which European officials alleged were deliberate provocations by Russia. The Kremlin, in turn, has claimed the accusations are baseless and themselves provocations.
Today Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, included the overnight drone incursion when referring to “reckless and dangerous Russian behaviour.”
“These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a broader pattern of Russian aggression and provocation against Europe, testing our readiness and our resolve,” she said on X. “Russia will find our resolve only growing stronger.”