On the border with Russia, Lithuania's Defense Ministry has launched the first of what will be nine schools around the country teaching children as young as 10 and adults how to fly, assemble, and program drones.
"It's all about building military defensive capabilities, which Lithuania is taking very seriously, living in the neighborhood with Russia and Belarus," said Deputy Defense Minister Tomas Godliauskas.
Children and others will be taught to operate First Person View (FPV), quadcopter and single-wing drones, said teacher Mindaugas Tamosaitis.
At the school in Taurage, 20 km from Russia's Kaliningrad enclave, children practiced virtual flights on computers. A boy at the training range was practicing flying a mini drone up and down, supervised by the teachers and sometimes crashing it on the floor.
The kids are enthusiastic
The kids are enthusiastic, their teacher said.
NATO member Lithuania asked the alliance to strengthen its air defense after two Russian drones crashed there after crossing from Belarus this summer.
NATO announced plans to beef up the defense of Europe's eastern flank last Friday, two days after Poland shot down drones that had violated its airspace, in the first known action of its kind by a member of the Western alliance during Russia's war in Ukraine.