Colombia building $1.7 billion drone shield

(Patria) - Colombia yesterday launched a $1.68 billion project to develop a so-called drone shield to protect the country from attacks by illegal armed groups, the Minister of Defence said, Reuters reported.

Colombia has been involved in an ongoing internal armed conflict for six decades that has killed more than 450,000 people. The conflict has involved military and police forces, left-wing guerrillas, criminal gangs formed by former right-wing paramilitaries, and drug cartels.

- Colombia is embarking on one of the boldest and most innovative strategies for our national security and defence. The Colombian government has approved a budget of $271.1 million for the first phase of the project, Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a video statement.

A meeting with countries and companies interested in the project was held yesterday in Bogota, although details were not disclosed.

Between 2024 and 2025, Colombia recorded 264 attacks by drones loaded with explosives. They were predominantly registered in the country's dense jungles and mountainous regions dedicated to the cultivation of coca leaves, the basic ingredient in cocaine production.

The attacks have been attributed to guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group.

Fifteen soldiers were killed and an additional 153 were wounded in drone attacks between 2024 and 2025, according to official statistics.

In November, Colombia signed a €3.1 billion deal with Swedish company Saab to purchase seventeen Gripen fighter jets over the next five years.