Aerospace Videos

Confronting The Evolving Missile Threat in Europe | IAMD Conference 2026

The 2026 RUSI Air‑Missile Defence conference opened with Siddharth Kaushal framing Europe’s air‑and‑missile threat as a convergent, evolving challenge that now dominates anti‑access, critical‑infrastructure and supply‑chain security. Speakers highlighted how Russian forces have shifted from limited precision strikes to massive, coordinated salvos of cruise missiles, drones and quasi‑ballistic weapons. Drone‑led ISTAR now drives target acquisition, while low‑cost UAVs and loitering munitions such as the Lancet‑3 generate 100‑200 strikes per month, and nightly attacks can exceed 1,000 systems. This duality of high‑end missiles and massed cheap munitions strains interceptor stocks and forces defenders to confront both volume and sophistication. Examples cited included the Rubicon Center—a Russian unit built to hunt Ukrainian drones and radars—and the dramatic increase from two Geran strikes per month in 2022 to dynamic, 24‑hour planning that floods Ukrainian air‑defence zones with 180‑450 engagements nightly. Ukrainian commanders reported that Russian drones now act as relay nodes, enabling coordinated attacks on air‑defence sites. The discussion concluded that NATO must redefine “good‑enough” protection, investing in a layered architecture that blends high‑performance interceptors with affordable, scalable solutions and reshapes the industrial base to sustain rapid production. Without such a shift, Europe risks a persistent capability gap against a threat that can overwhelm both technology and logistics.