- Sputnik International, 1920
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

NATO Poised to Adopt First Counter-Drone Doctrine

© Sputnik / Stanislav Krasilnikov / Go to the mediabankA Russian serviceman of the Central Military District takes part in a training of operators of reconnaissance and attack drones
A Russian serviceman of the Central Military District takes part in a training of operators of reconnaissance and attack drones  - Sputnik International, 1920, 20.10.2023
Subscribe
The NATO alliance is preparing its first-ever alliance-wide doctrine for dealing with drones on the battlefield, as the unmanned aerial vehicles continue to proliferate and find new applications in warfare.
According to a senior NATO adviser who spoke with US media this week, the effort has been in the works since the beginning of the year and is based on a 2019 handbook outlining the basics of counter-drone tactics for US forces.
Formally dubbed counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), the doctrine will standardize how armies across the NATO alliance fight drones, which have become essential parts of modern warfighting. Armies today use aerial drones for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, search and rescue, and airstrikes, among other tasks, and are increasingly adopting ground and maritime drones as well.
Flight deck crew preparing to launch the X-47B, an experimental unmanned drone aircraft, aboard the USS Theodore Rosevelt, off the coast of Virginia, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013 - Sputnik International, 1920, 30.08.2023
Analysis
US Plan to Flood Pacific With AI-Driven Drones Risks Uncontrollable Escalation With China
It’s unclear what the contents of the doctrine will be, but based on previous comments by NATO officials, it will aim to incorporate C-UAS into the wider field of air defense, rather than being considered in isolation.

While for many years US forces were the predominant users of combat drones as a cornerstone of the War on Terror, several recent conflicts have highlighted the increasing availability of drones for other powers and their potency in combat, including in Yemen, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Ukraine, and most recently Hamas’ use of drones to destroy Israeli Merkava tanks.

After the Yemeni Houthis used kamikaze drones to get past US air defense systems and attack two major Saudi oil facilities in 2019, the Pentagon launched a major effort to develop both short-range air defense (SHORAD) systems and specifically counter-drone systems, ranging from vehicle modifications to handheld devices for soldiers and even directed-energy weapons on vehicles and warships.
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала