Ukraine joins NATO drone countermeasures exercise for first time ever

The Netherlands is hosting an exercise under the auspices of the North Atlantic Alliance to test counter-drone systems, running until 20 September. This is the first time Ukraine has participated in the exercise.

Source: European Pravda, citing the press service for NATO

Details: Over 450 people from 19 NATO member states and three partner countries took part in the annual NATO Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technical Interoperability Exercise (C-UAS TIE).

"More than 60 counter-drone systems and technologies such as sensors, drone-on-drone systems, jammers and cyber interceptors were tested live," the Alliance said.

They added that Ukraine's direct participation in the exercise is part of the NATO-Ukraine Innovation Cooperation Roadmap, which the parties approved at the summit in Washington in July 2024.

"Exercises like the C-UAS TIE provide a unique opportunity to address pressing challenges together, such as drone autonomy and interoperability while also learning from Ukraine’s battlefield experience in countering small drones," the press service said.

The integration of counter-drone technologies into NATO's integrated air and missile defence is essential for strengthening the Alliance's deterrence and defence posture.

Background: 

• The Alliance's exercises come amid several incidents of Russian drones entering the airspace of its member states.
• Earlier, the defence ministers of Romania, Poland and Latvia urged the Allies to immediately implement a rotational NATO air defence model and to strengthen NATO's deterrence, surveillance, reconnaissance and air patrol activities on the Alliance's eastern flank.

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