RIGA - The Russian Shahed drone that flew into Latvia had to be shot down, and the reports of the responsible officials that the aircraft was spotted in time can be questioned, Juris Maklakovs, former commander of the National Armed Forces (NBS) and the Air Force (GS), told LETA.
He believes that the drone should have been shot down over a safe area, as the war is taking place close to Latvia's borders and Latvia is committed to investing heavily in the military defense of its eastern border.
"We build fences, deploy barbed wire, dig anti-tank ditches, deploy anti-tank assets, but at the same time we let drones over the border, which fly many kilometers into Latvian territory," the expert rhetorically pointed out.
As to the most appropriate course of action, Maklakovs reminded that NATO patrol aircraft are deployed in Latvia on a Baltic air patrol mission. The Air Force also has helicopters which have to be on 24-hour standby. However, as far as Maklakovs knows, these helicopters are not equipped with machine guns.
The NBS has the means to shoot down low-flying drones from the ground, such as the RBS-70 short-range air defense system. It is not known whether this equipment was present in the specific areas of Latgale at the weekend and at the specific time, Maklakovs said.
The expert also doubts that the NBS saw the Shahed drone in time, as it is a low-flying target and special radars and devices are needed to detect it.
"I also doubt that the NBS was able to monitor the entire territory of Latvia," Maklakovs added.
The NBS has the means to detect such a drone, but it is questionable whether this equipment was in the region, as their range is limited.
"A lot of questions and uncertainties. True, there is no guarantee whether the drone would manage to be shot down before it ran out of fuel," Maklakovs stressed.
In view of this incident near the eastern border, Latvia's air defense systems need to be further developed to adequately detect and respond to low-flying targets, Maklakovs stressed. At the same time, helicopter capabilities need to be developed to be able to respond and shoot down such targets from the air.
Asked if he was also confused by the statement of the NBS leadership at a press conference on Monday that the drone still in the air did not have "evil targets", Maklakovs said that as a former NBS commander he would not like to comment on the statement of the current NBS leadership.
Asked to explain the chain of command, who should make the decision to shoot down a drone, Maklakovs replied that in his opinion the decision to use weapons against a low-flying object in peacetime is, however, a political responsibility, or the responsibility of the Minister of Defense.
According to Maklakovs, we can prepare for similar incidents when Russian aircraft illegally cross the border.
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