Norway’s Ministry of Defence said Nov. 3 it will deploy NASAMS sensors in Kirkenes to detect and warn of drones in border airspace as more than 30 soldiers reinforce Sør-Varanger Garrison.
The sensors are intended to alert authorities to drone activity and help them track movement across the border area. Jegerbataljonen at Sør-Varanger Garrison will receive the added personnel through the end of 2026. Their presence also gives the Armed Forces a chance to train for rapid relocation of personnel and equipment.
The ministry linked the preventive deployment to drone activity and cases of drones going off course elsewhere in Europe in recent years. Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik said Norway does not currently see a heightened air threat to the country or Finnmark’s population. Citing Ukraine’s experience, he said, “The experience from Ukraine shows how important it is to have a good overview and receive early warning.”
A public-safety notice prepared jointly by the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection, Finnmark Police District and the Armed Forces, then posted by the County Governor of Troms and Finnmark, says the risk of a Ukrainian drone straying into Norway is very low. The notice does not rule out Russian GPS interference as a possible cause of a drone being diverted toward Norway.
The notice expects the monitoring system to become operational shortly. Finnmark police and the Armed Forces will then hold an exercise, and residents in relevant areas will receive an emergency alert identified as a test. The notice gives no date for the exercise.
Illegal drone enforcement remains with police, with military assistance available when police request it and applicable rules allow.
