A drone soars toward a French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Twenty drones maneuver over the Danish port of Koege, used for military deployments. The Dutch military tries to bring down drones over Volkel air base in the Netherlands. Far from the battlefields of Ukraine, drones are forcing European countries to change their thinking about national defense. Despite repeated provocations, NATO members appear ill-prepared for the new drone era, as Russia probes their defenses, seemingly at will. From August 2024 to February 2026, there were 144 incidents of suspicious drones over a dozen European countries, according to a new report released Thursday by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Full analysis : A new study, backed up by analysts and political leaders, says frequent drone incursions near military assets mark a Russian campaign to probe defenses and gather information.