For the first time, Ukraine participated in NATO’s annual C-UAS Technical Interoperability Exercise (TIE), which took place from September 10 to 20, 2024, in the Netherlands. The exercise brought together more than 450 participants from 19 NATO member states and three partner countries, including representatives from the private sector and research community.
The goal of the exercise was to test over 60 counter-drone systems, including advanced sensors, drone-on-drone systems, jammers and cyber interceptors.
These systems were tested live to assess how commercially available technologies can be integrated and operated seamlessly together across the Alliance. The successful integration of these technologies is crucial to NATO’s efforts to improve its deterrence and defence capabilities against evolving drone threats.
Ukraine’s involvement in the exercise is a significant step forward in its increasing collaboration with NATO. The country’s participation is part of the NATO-Ukraine Innovation Cooperation Roadmap, approved during the Washington Summit in July 2024. This roadmap seeks to enhance cooperation on technological innovations and improve Ukraine’s ability to integrate with NATO systems.
The exercise also highlighted the importance of addressing key challenges, such as drone autonomy and interoperability.
“Exercises like the C-UAS TIE provide a unique opportunity to address pressing challenges together, while also learning from Ukraine’s battlefield experience in countering small drones,” NATO’s press service said.
Ukraine’s recent experience in dealing with small, autonomous drones in real combat scenarios offers valuable insights for NATO members, as drone warfare continues to evolve.
The 2024 exercise is part of broader efforts to integrate counter-drone technologies into NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) framework, which is critical to the Alliance’s enhanced deterrence posture. At the Washington Summit, NATO leaders agreed to further improve the readiness and integration of NATO’s IAMD and committed to supporting the development of an integrated air and missile defence architecture for Ukraine.
As NATO strengthens its defences against unmanned aerial threats, Ukraine’s involvement in these exercises marks a new phase in cooperation, bringing battlefield expertise to the Alliance’s evolving strategy to counter drone technology. The participation of Ukraine reinforces the ongoing NATO-Ukraine partnership as part of the Alliance’s broader security goals.
