NATO tests counter drone tech during interoperability exercise

From 10 to 20 September, 450 participants from 22 countries, including Ukraine for the first time, gathered in the Netherlands to increase their ability to counter malicious drone activity.

The fourth edition of NATO’s Counter Unmanned Aircraft System Technical Interoperability Exercise (C-UAS TIE24) brought together military, scientific and industry specialists to test high-tech commercial solutions designed to detect, identify, and neutralise drones. Over 60 systems and technologies – including sensors, effectors, jammers and threat drones – were tested live to ensure that they can connect instantly and operate together.

The exercise was organised by the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), and hosted by the C-UAS Joint Nucleus within the Dutch Ministry of Defence.

“The commercial and military use of drones has grown rapidly, and unfortunately, so has their misuse, particularly by non-state actors. This presents an increasing threat to NATO’s operations and everyday defence activities,” said NCIA Chief of Staff Major General Hans Folmer, while visiting the exercise. “In response, NATO has been fully committed to better understanding drone detection and to developing effective countermeasures. This exercise stands as a clear demonstration of that commitment.”

NCIA, through its C-UAS Centre of Expertise, is working closely with NATO’s Emerging and Security Challenges Division to ensure interoperability and standardisation in data exchange among diverse C-UASs and components across the Alliance. Part of this work includes the development of NATO’s first counter doctrine, which will provide a robust framework for NATO to efficiently detect, track and neutralise the threat.

Previous iterations of the TIE exercises identified C-UAS optimal architectures and standards to be adopted by NATO. Building upon these achievements, C-UAS TIE24 further tested technical standards and solutions to assess interoperability of systems used to counter Class I UASs with existing air and missile defence capabilities.

Ukraine’s first active participation in the exercise is part of the NATO-Ukraine Innovation Cooperation Roadmap endorsed at the Washington Summit earlier this year. TIE24 provided an opportunity to learn from Ukraine’s battlefield experience in countering small drones and help address the most pressing challenges, such as drone autonomy and interoperability in a collaborative and mutually-reinforcing way.