Western countries, which are grappling with growing aerial threats, are being called upon to review their defense strategies. Experts note that rather than simply stockpiling countermeasures, Europe and NATO should adopt Ukraine’s model of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — which are faster, cheaper, and battle-tested. Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum held in Warsaw, Poland, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on NATO partners to create a “joint, truly reliable shield” against Russian air threats, stating that Ukraine is ready to share its capabilities.
The Ukrainian Model Instead of Traditional Stockpiling
The fact that many European countries have recently been targeted by suspicious UAV activity near their critical infrastructure has pushed the European Union toward the idea of building a defensive “wall” against UAVs, drawing on Kiev’s experience.
Scott Boston, a senior defense analyst at RAND, criticized the West’s current approach to defense, stating, “No one should think they can stockpile millions of unmanned aerial vehicles [or countermeasures]… …nor should they expect these to be effective, given how rapidly the situation is evolving.” Boston summarized the advantages of the Ukrainian model as follows:
Cheaper and Faster: The Ukrainian method is less costly and can be implemented more quickly than traditional defense systems.
Live Testing: The model has a high level of reliability because it has been tested in real-world conditions against an active adversary.
Electronic Warfare Experience: Given that Russia is constantly deploying new electronic warfare techniques, information obtained from the electromagnetic spectrum is said to be extremely important.
Ukraine reports that the UAV and missile production sector is projected to reach a potential of $35 billion by 2026, and that approximately 40 percent of the weapons deployed on the front lines will be produced locally.
Knowledge Transfer and Industrial Cooperation
Experts say that among the key areas of knowledge transfer that Western powers can benefit from is making counter-drone systems operational at both the tactical and high command levels. This means integrating counter-drone capabilities into existing military units and spreading the responsibility for countering UAVs across the entire force.
Optimal Combinations: Federico Borsari of the European Policy Analysis Center noted that Ukraine has gained unique experience in the optimal combinations of sensors and countermeasures, such as low-cost guided rockets, wideband jamming, and anti-aircraft weapons guided by multi-band sensor networks.
Training and Visits: Following last month’s drone attacks, Poland and Denmark decided to deploy Ukrainian experts to train their own troops. Yevgeniya Gaber of the Atlantic Council noted that no simulation can replicate a real combat environment, emphasizing that Ukrainian instructors and UAV operations could make a significant contribution to the training of other European forces.
Industrial Cooperation: It is noted that, in the short term, this partnership could be realized through direct industrial cooperation and by investing in Ukrainian capabilities to increase the production of proven systems. According to Borsari, access to Ukrainian performance data gathered from combat engagements will be extremely valuable for European companies in fine-tuning their own technologies.
EU and Danish Steps: The EU’s recent commitment to spend a total of 2 billion euros on unmanned aerial vehicles with Ukraine creates a potential win-win situation. Furthermore, Denmark and Ukraine have solidified these collaborative efforts by signing an agreement that allows Ukrainian defense companies to establish joint production facilities in the Scandinavian country.
