NATO opens a counter-drone catalogue to speed allied procurement
NATO has opened a digital marketplace allowing allies to buy or rent preselected counter-drone equipment without a new tender. 16 solutions from five suppliers cover protection of military sites, airports and moving convoys. Officials envisage delivery within 90–180 days after contract signature, depending on the system; no country had completed a purchase at launch.
Geopolitics··Midday
Allies can order without a new tender
NATO opened a digital marketplace for counter-drone equipment on November 5. Allies can inspect preselected systems and seek purchases or rentals without launching another tender. Its Communications and Information Agency selected 16 solutions from five companies. The platform moves competition between suppliers ahead of a country’s specific request for equipment.[1], [2]
Agency official Cristian Coman said conventional procurement can take nine to twelve months just to reach contract signature. More than one hundred companies expressed interest in the selection process and over eighty proposals were submitted. The catalogue followed around four months of evaluation, whose equipment officials said had already been used in operations or exercises in Ukraine and allied countries.[1]
Protection for fixed sites and moving convoys
The selected suppliers are Alta Ares of France, Axon Enterprise and Northrop Grumman of the United States, OSL of Britain and Quantum Systems of Germany. The catalogue includes fixed, transportable and mobile equipment for military installations, airports, logistics centres, critical infrastructure, border areas and moving convoys. Police authorities can also participate when responsible for protecting borders or strategic infrastructure.[1]
The systems use radar, cameras and electromagnetic sensors to detect unmanned aircraft, alongside electronic jamming, interceptor drones and armed equipment. NATO officials said the marketplace was designed to counter drone threats rather than watch people or migration flows.[1]
Trials precede national purchasing decisions
NATO allocated 3.1 million euros for trials before countries decide whether to buy. Coman envisaged delivery 90–180 days after contract signature, depending on the system. At launch, no ally had completed an acquisition through the platform. The marketplace belongs to Drone Edge, the counter-drone programme introduced at July’s Ankara summit, where allies committed more than 40 billion dollars to these capabilities over five years.[1]
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