How Europe’s private drone industry seizes opportunity amid NATO’s defence buildup

Europe’s escalating drone defence race

In a warehouse in northern Denmark, some 1,500 kilometres (900 miles) from Kyiv, workers meticulously assemble anti-drone devices. Several of these units are bound for Ukraine, aimed at disrupting Russian technology on the battlefield, while others will be distributed across Europe to help counter mysterious drone incursions into NATO airspace — incidents that have left the continent increasingly uneasy.

Two Danish defence-focused firms have reported a surge in new clients seeking to use their technology to safeguard airports, military sites, and vital infrastructure — all recently targeted by unauthorised drone flyovers.

Weibel Scientific’s radar-based drone detection system was deployed at Copenhagen Airport ahead of a major EU summit earlier this year, following drone sightings that forced a temporary closure of the airspace in September. Meanwhile, counter-drone company MyDefence, operating from its northern Danish facility, manufactures handheld and wearable radio-frequency devices designed to sever the link between drones and their pilots, neutralising threats in real time.

While “jamming” remains tightly restricted and heavily regulated within the European Union, it is widely used on the Ukrainian frontlines. The tactic has become so common that both Russian and Ukrainian forces have begun employing drones connected by thin fibre-optic cables, enabling them to operate without relying on radio signals. Russia has also introduced attack drones equipped with additional antennas to counter Ukraine’s growing jamming capabilities.

A spike in drone incursions

Drone warfare exploded following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia has bombarded Ukraine with drone and missile attacks, striking railways, power facilities and cities across the country. Ukraine, in response, has launched daring strikes deep inside Russia using domestically produced drones.

But Europe as a whole is now on high alert after the drone flyovers into NATO’s airspace reached an unprecedented scale in September, prompting European leaders to agree to develop a “drone wall” along their borders to better detect, track and intercept drones violating Europe’s airspace. In November, NATO military officials said a new U.S. anti-drone system was deployed to the alliance’s eastern flank.

Some European officials described the incidents as Moscow testing NATO’s response, which raised questions about how prepared the alliance is against Russia. Key challenges include the ability to detect drones — sometimes mistaken for a bird or plane on radar systems — and take them down cheaply.

The Kremlin has brushed off allegations that Russia is behind some of the unidentified drone flights in Europe.

Andreas Graae, assistant professor at the Royal Danish Defense College, said there is a “huge drive” to rapidly deploy counter-drone systems in Europe amid Russia's aggression.

“All countries in Europe are struggling to find the right solutions to be prepared for these new drone challenges,” he said. “We don’t have all the things that are needed to actually be good enough to detect drones and have early warning systems.”

Putting 'machines before people’

Founded in 2013, MyDefence makes devices that can be used to protect airports, government buildings and other critical infrastructure, but chief executive Dan Hermansen called the Russia-Ukraine war a “turning point" for his company.

More than 2,000 units of its wearable “Wingman” detector have been delivered to Ukraine since Russia invaded nearly four years ago.

“For the past couple of years, we’ve heard in Ukraine that they want to put machines before people” to save lives, Hermansen said.

MyDefence last year doubled its earnings to roughly $18.7 million compared to 2023.

Then came the drone flyovers earlier this year. Besides Copenhagen Airport, drones flew over four smaller Danish airports, including two that serve as military bases.

Hermansen said they were an “eye-opener” for many European countries and prompted a surge of interest in their technology. MyDefence went from the vast majority of its business being defense-related to inquiries from officials representing police forces and critical infrastructure.

“Seeing suddenly that drone warfare is not just something that happens in Ukraine or on the eastern flank, but basically is something that we need to take care of in a hybrid warfare threat scenario,” he added.

Radar technology used against drones

On NATO’s eastern flank, Denmark, Poland and Romania are deploying a new weapons system to defend against drones. The American Merops system, which is small enough to fit in the back of a midsize pickup truck, can identify drones and close in on them using artificial intelligence to navigate when satellite and electronic communications are jammed.

The aim is to make the border with Russia so well-armed that Moscow’s forces will be deterred from ever contemplating crossing the line from Norway in the north to Turkey in the south, NATO military officials told The Associated Press.

North of Copenhagen, Weibel Scientific has been making Doppler radar technology since the 1970s. Typically used in tracking radar systems for the aerospace industry, it’s now being applied to drone detection like at Copenhagen Airport.

The technology can determine the velocity of an object, such as a drone, based on the change in wavelength of a signal being bounced back. Then it's possible to predict the direction the object is moving, Weibel Scientific chief executive Peter Røpke said.

“The Ukraine war, and especially how it has evolved over the last couple of years with drone technology, means this type of product is in high demand,” Røpke said.

Earlier this year, Weibel secured a $76 million deal, which the firm called its “largest order ever."

The drone flyovers boosted the demand even higher as discussion around the proposed “drone wall” continued. Røpke said his technology could become a “key component” of any future drone shield.

(With AP inputs)