Drones such as Zala and S-70 Okhotnik withstand extreme Arctic weather like frosts of -50°C and 20 m/s winds. They operate independently of satellite navigation, land on ships or water, and use intelligent algorithms to complete missions even with ice issues.
All signs are that Russia "will not only have unarmed surveillance drone systems along the Northern Sea Route, but potentially armed systems that are constantly patrolling those areas as well," according to James Patton Rogers, a drone expert at Cornell University and a NATO policy adviser.
He admitted that NATO had been slow to devise a coherent response.
Rogers was echoed by General Major Lars Lervik, head of the Norwegian Army, who said that “we are all [NATO members] having to catch up with Russia in terms of production of drones designed for the Arctic."