A suspected drone sighting over Lithuania triggered a brief security alert on Sunday before authorities determined that the radar signal had actually been caused by a flock of birds.
The incident led to the temporary closure of Vilnius Airport and prompted NATO to scramble at least one fighter jet to investigate the reported object in Lithuanian airspace.
Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre later confirmed that the object detected on radar was not a drone. A NATO aircraft from Šiauliai, where Italian forces are currently supporting the alliance’s Baltic Air Policing mission, conducted a visual check and helped confirm the situation.
The air alert was lifted and Vilnius Airport reopened within about 38 minutes, allowing normal flight operations to resume.
The incident comes at a time of heightened concern among NATO’s eastern members over unidentified drones and other aerial objects. Several countries in the region have reported drone-related incidents linked to the wider security situation surrounding the war in Ukraine.
Radar systems can sometimes have difficulty distinguishing birds from small unmanned aircraft, particularly when several birds are flying together and producing a similar radar signature.
Despite the brief disruption, there were no reports of injuries or damage, and authorities did not identify any confirmed security threat.
The episode highlights the importance of rapid airspace monitoring in the Baltic region, where NATO members have strengthened surveillance and air-defence measures in response to previous drone incursions and other security concerns.
For Lithuania, the incident ended without escalation, but it demonstrated how quickly authorities and NATO forces can respond when an unidentified object is detected near critical civilian infrastructure such as an international airport.