The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has officially activated a three-year framework agreement with the Danish company MyDefence, specializing in radio frequency drone detection. This agreement provides NATO member states the opportunity to acquire the firm’s Wingman drone detection solution.
This technology is designed to protect allies from attacks by small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) and addresses capability gaps created by the unprecedented proliferation of drones in international conflicts.
Originally, NATO approved the small counter-UAS contract in April, marking a first for the alliance. An NSPA spokesperson confirmed to Breaking Defense today that “the activation of the procurement agreement” took place on Monday.
The contract was awarded through Cobbs Belux BV, a Belgian distributor of defense equipment, allowing the offer of both the Wingman product and DroneShield’s Dronegun Mk4 to NATO nations.
In a statement released on Monday, MyDefence stated that the agreement “marks a historic milestone in military procurement and enhances NATO’s operational readiness.” Dan Hermansen, CEO of MyDefence, remarked, “Within a short time of activation of the procurement agreement, we have received orders from EU NATO member nations, and our equipment is already being utilized.”
In light of the increased reliance on drone technology in Ukraine, MyDefence referenced a 2023 report “cited by Russian state media,” which indicated that 3,500 First Person View (FPV) operators have been trained by the Russian Ministry of Defence. It was also stated that Moscow is believed to produce tens of thousands of FPV drones monthly.
While these figures are difficult to verify, Russian Minister of Defence Andrei Belousov claimed in July that the country is producing around 4,000 FPV aircraft daily. Various reports suggest that Ukraine may achieve a target of domestically producing two million drones by the end of 2024.
The growing prevalence and operational effectiveness of small drones, especially when used to attack more expensive enemy equipment, has resulted in an increasing demand for Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) solutions.
Ukraine has already benefitted from a wide range of these systems, provided by military aid partners, including “thousands” of SkyWiper Electronic Drone Mitigation 4 systems and SkyWiper Omni units, delivered by Lithuania, according to a report by Unmanned Airspace. At the NATO level, the alliance noted that results from a large-scale counter-drone technology exercise held last year in the Netherlands, which involved 15 allies, would help in “identifying optimal C-UAS architectures, common requirements, and technical interoperability standards” for the air security of Allied and Partner Nations.
