Lithuania is set to acquire a Ukrainian acoustic detection system amid increasing incursions by Russian drones into its airspace.
Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, General Raimundas Vaikšnors, stated that the system will be acquired and tested this year, with extensive implementation planned for next year.
“They have already been known since last autumn, but procedural matters took a little while, because this is a Ukrainian, one might say, system that had to be adapted to our implementation of American systems, due to sensitive issues,” Vaikšnors was quoted as saying on a television program.
He did not reveal the system. However, some reports have identified it as the Sky Fortress.
Sky Fortress Acoustic Detection System
Developed by Ukrainian engineers, the system identifies Russian kinetic systems through their sound signature and passes on the acoustic data, fused with radar data, to mobile firing units.
Approximately 14,000 units of the system have been deployed across the country.
According to one estimate, approximately 20 percent of targets entering Ukrainian airspace are detected solely through their acoustic signature.
Costing between $400 and $1,000, Sky Fortress can detect systems such as cruise missiles, long-range missiles, and drones.
It is beneficial in detecting the noisy, propeller-driven Shahed kamikaze drones.
Other Countries Also Follow
Despite Russia’s attempts to alter the acoustic signature of its systems, the Sky Fortress’ detection capabilities remain largely unaffected, thanks to its training on a vast dataset of sounds, according to the Ukrainian government’s United24 Media.
The stellar performance of Ukraine’s acoustic detection network — featuring systems like Sky Fortress and Zvook — has prompted NATO countries to explore integrating similar acoustic capabilities into their air defense systems.
Recognizing the future potential, companies like France’s Thales and Poland’s Advanced Protection Systems have begun developing acoustic detection capabilities.