WARSAW – Five European nations have announced a new program to produce low-cost air defense systems and autonomous drones using Ukrainian expertise hard-won over the past four years of war against Russia.

Friday’s initiative of the E5 nations — France, Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy — comes as one of many European efforts to bolster defense along their borders, like a “ drone wall ” with Russia and Ukraine to better detect, track and intercept drones violating Europe’s airspace.

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