Russian drones flying over airports could be punched out of the sky by a new Swedish defence system which is 16,000 times cheaper than a fighter jet.

Nordic Air Defence (NAD), a Stockholm-based tech firm, is building the low-cost mini-missile which uses "kinetic force" to knock out drones whirring over critical infrastructure, such as airports and factories, as seen across EU airspace in recent weeks.

The Kreuger 100 interceptor uses infrared sensors to hunt down hostile drones and ram them out of the sky at high speed, making it much safer to use in civilian areas than explosive projectiles.

"These airport incursions are the perfect example of why protecting public spaces against drones needs a more sophisticated solution than just 'shooting them down'," Karl Rosander, the chief executive of Nordic Air Defence, told The Telegraph.

"We're building a small, electricity-driven interceptor which is only kinetic. It doesn't have any warheads or explosives, it knocks the drone down by coming at high speed. This means police can use it in civil environments," he said.

"We don't want to be shooting explosives over airports, so this would be perfect for what happened in Denmark. You avoid shooting expensive missiles, and burning fragments over civilian infrastructure," Mr Rosander added.

EU-wide drone menace

European Union leaders are urgently looking for ways to defend their airports after a string of suspected Russian drone incursions in Denmark, Norway and Germany.

Their main challenge is safety, as shooting down drones with powerful missiles over civilian areas creates the risk of death, injuries and damage to key infrastructure.

Another major concern is cost: Russian drones can cost as little as £1,000 each, whereas Nato's current tactic of scrambling fighter jets, as it did with success in Poland, is enormously expensive by comparison.

The mini-missiles designed to ram Putin's drones out of the sky