No use Poland, UK

Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by Natalia Smolenceva
01:08 Edgars Gaurucs | Eraser CEO
02:06 Artis Pabriks | Former defense minister of Latvia
02:33 Edgars Gaurucs | Eraser CEO

Script:

These kids at a Lithuanian school are learning how to build and fly drones – first in simulation, then in reality. 
They’re taking part in a defence ministry programme, to prepare them for the challenges of the future.  

+++ Edgaras - (16 Sek)  +++
"It is just fun to fly a drone. // Maybe could be useful, I could take photos with a drone // Defending our country because I saw the drone entering Lithuania not so long ago, maybe in the military it could be useful.  +++

And Lithuanians have every right to worry. Tauragė, a city of 20,000, lies just 30 kilometres from the Russian border.   
Last year Lithuania joined NATO’s drone coalition, led by its Baltic neighbour Latvia – now one of Europe’s top drone producers. 
In 2024 alone, Latvia delivered 5 000 drones to Ukraine. This year, it aims to more than double that number.  

((Could cut: These small machines are changing the way wars are fought.)) 

+++ SOT - Edgars Gauručs, CEO of Eraser +++
"3-4-5 years ago, drones were just either filming equipment, toys or racing style drones and nobody were thinking about them as actual things that you can use in war. Now in the past few years, it's proven that they are very cost effective, they can destroy a lot, they can be mass produces very quickly, and you don’t need much time to learn how operate them."  +++

Latvian companies like Eraser test drones under real conditions, including recent military drills – but also on the battlefield in Ukraine. 
Access to that knowledge together with strategic government investment has made Latvia the EU leader in drone technology.  
Technology that can also be used to protect its own skies. 
The recent Russian drone incursions into Polish and Romanian airspace have put countries on high alert.  
 
+++ SOT - Artis Pabriks, Ex-minister of defence of Latvia   +++
"We are working increasingly on drones which could defend our country against let's say incursions or invasions and also drones and anti-drone systems based on drones which can also be a cheap defence against attacks from flying drones in."+++

However, this might prove challenging, warn manufacturers.  

+++ SOT - Edgars Gauručs, CEO of Eraser +++ 
It's very easy to ramp up manufacturing from 100 to 1000 and even to 10,000 drones a month. That's not the hard part. The hardest part is supply chain. For example, there are a lot of parts that could be produced only in certain countries. // Raw materials will be a problem in the future. +++

Back in Lithuania, these children are also getting ready for a future where drone technology may continue to play a vital role. 
3 02 - END