Approximately 300 participants gathered in the Netherlands from 11 to 22 May 2026, to test the latest counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS) technology and operational concepts during the NATO Technical Interoperability Exercise (TIE 26).
40 companies from 11 Allied Nations alongside partner countries Ukraine and Australia participated in the exercise, which demonstrated more than 60 commercial systems and 40 command-and-control (C2) software applications designed to detect, identify and neutralise UAS threats.
TIE 26 assessed the systems and technologies during live testing in a controlled environment across multiple scenarios. The exercise aims to determine which solutions could be integrated into NATO’s defence architecture and operate seamlessly alongside existing systems.
This TIE 26 edition also reflects lessons identified from the war in Ukraine, in particular, the evolving use of interceptor C-UAS technology, by testing the potential use of interceptor capabilities against ‘enemy’ drones.
Technologies that demonstrate technically and operationally interoperability during TIE 26 will be eligible to participate in exercise Baltic Trust 26, an operational focused exercise scheduled to take place in Latvia in August 2026.
For more information
Image: NATO Communications and Information Agency
The 2026 Unmanned Airspace Global Counter-UAS Systems Directory is now available. The Guide is the world’s only comprehensive, continually updated directory of global C-UAS companies and systems. It itemises over 1,000 C-UAS products and services with performance details, company sales and partnerships arrangements. It is updated every month and broken down into niche sub-sectors (net-capture, missiles, intercept drones, detectors etc) to give C-UAS procurement and industry personnel a unique perspective of global C-UAS technical capabilities and market positions. It is available in word, PDF and excel formats and Unmanned Airspace readers are eligible for a range of discounts. For more information about the Directory please contact the editor Philip Butterworth-Hayes at philip@unmannedairspace.info.