Europe’s five biggest defense powers are teaming up on a multi-million-euro project to bring low-cost air-defense systems like autonomous drones or missiles into production within 12 months, ministers meeting in the Polish city of Krakow said on Friday.

Axar.az informs, citing Reuters, the war in Ukraine has shown how autonomous interceptor drones can provide an effective alternative to costly air-defense missiles, and Kyiv’s European allies are keen to learn from its experience.

The European Group of Five Defense Ministers, which brings together top military spenders France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Britain, met as European leaders work to boost defense capabilities amid increased European doubts about Washington’s commitment to protecting the continent.

The ‘Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms’ initiative, known as LEAP, involves the development of advanced low-cost air-defense systems – such as autonomous drones or missiles – the first project of which will be delivered by 2027, the UK government said in a separate statement.