How Ukraine can contribute to Europe’s ‘Drone Wall’ project

BLUF: Six European countries share more than 2,500 kilometers of border with Russia, an uncomfortable fact that has compelled them to establish a joint border project focusing on drones. Ukraine’s experience in drone warfare on land, in the air, and at sea will be vital for the project by Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Norway, Finland, and Poland.

How Ukraine can strengthen Europe’s Drone Wall project 

Ukraine made history by becoming the first country ever to establish a military branch devoted to drone warfare, the Unmanned Systems Forces, and to implement a drone line – a 10-15 kilometer zone where drones will be the primary focus to prevent enemy advancement (read our Deep Dive about the current drone line implementation in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.)

European countries on NATO's eastern flank recognize all too well the importance of such a drone line, as they share a common border of more than 3,500 km with Russia and Belarus.

They have already seen Russia regularly disrupt GPS in the Baltic states using electronic warfare, complicating civilian aviation operations. The Kremlin has also carried out sabotage in Northern Europe by severing underwater communication cables. 

Russia, together with Belarus, has also exploited the shared border with Poland to manufacture a refugee crisis in the hopes of destabilizing the country. 

When hybrid actions destabilize NATO’s eastern flank, the response to such threats must be collective. That’s why Lithuania initiated the Drone Wall project in May 2024 after a series of provocations from Russia and the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine. 

Its main goal is to create a system for timely detection and counter-drone operations. This involves not only armed aggression but also to mitigate risks of smuggling and border provocations.

"This is an absolutely new thing – a drone wall stretching from Norway to Poland – and its purpose is to use drones and other technologies to protect our borders," said Agne Bilotaite, Lithuanian Interior Minister.

The European Commission has declined to fund the project's implementation, without disclosing a reason. Estonia and Lithuania had requested €12 million for project implementation, with €4 million allocated to Estonia and €2.5 million each to the remaining countries. 

The European Commission has funded other projects with higher price tags, such as €14 million for drones and counter-drone purchases for Lithuania and €22.7 million for border infrastructure in Estonia.  

The drone wall aims to:

• Create an information-sharing system between participating countries;

• Integrate drones and counter-drone equipment for border security;

• Detect and neutralize adversary drones.

There are currently no timeframes for project completion. The number of drones required for the project is estimated to be in the thousands. Ukraine’s experience in battling the Russian war machine suggests many more drones might be needed, with the number of drones possibly in the millions, especially FPV drones.

What types of drones will be used?

Initially, the project will focus on aerial drones and ground detection stations, Federico Borsari, a resident fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), told Counteroffensive.Pro.

The Drone Wall needs a multilayered ecosystem of ‘consumable’ and ‘nonconsumable’ drones, various loitering munitions, battlefield awareness systems, and logistics drones, Phillip Lockwood, Managing Director of STARK International, a European defence-tech company, told Counteroffensive.Pro.

"A massive combination of attritable unmanned systems with both sensors, including Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capabilities, and effectors that have strike capabilities could well provide the mobility and the scalability necessary to definitively mark our borders," Lockwood said.

In Ukraine, the 10-15 km zone along the contact line is deadly for both sides of the conflict. Being in this zone poses extreme risk, so the whole area must be patrolled by drones rather than soldiers. 

In the Khartiia brigade, for instance, all logistics and supplies for the infantry are handled only via drones or armored vehicles. However, the role of soldiers is still crucial, said a member of the Khartiia brigade who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“There is more room for automation in defense, meaning you can install remotely controlled turrets, automated strongholds, and other things, but you still need to periodically send people there to recharge, work with equipment, start up, restart generators, repair antennas, transmitters, and other equipment,” he said.

For now, the Defence Estonia Cluster and other companies will be responsible for providing the necessary equipment for the Drone Wall:

• Rantelon, a producer of electronic warfare equipment;

• Marduk, a developer of systems to counter UAVs;

• Lendurai, a visual navigation developer;

• Hevi Optronics, a developer of electro-optical sensor systems;

• Frankenburg Technologies, a missile interceptor developer;

• Telekonta, an engineering company with expertise in remote surveillance systems.

The war in Ukraine has highlighted the rapid evolution of security and defense technologies under tremendous operational pressure, underscoring the need for manufacturers to be adaptable in responding to real-world needs. 

For a drone line with a 10-30 km range, FPV drones are required, but due to advanced Russian EW capabilities, visual navigation, fiber optic, or AI elements are also crucial. Read our coverage on the history of Russian electronic warfare here. 

Ukrainian startups, including Swarmer, M-Fly, Sine Engineering, and Blue Arrow are working to meet this need by developing visual navigation and drone swarming technologies. 

Electronic warfare resistance is a primary requirement for all drones, said Lockwood. 

For example, STARK has designed the Virtus loitering munition, which offers rapid deployment even in contested environments; it’s already been tested in GNSS-denied territory and EW-contested environments in Ukraine. It was designed to neutralize targets within a range of up to 100 km, including tanks, artillery, command and control sites, and other equipment.

STARK is also developing greater sophistication in autonomy, allowing the system to take more actions with less operator intervention. This reduces EW effectiveness, as it reduces the need for communication between operator/pilot and the system. 

Additionally, Ukraine has unique experience at sea and on land. Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, the Security Service, and private companies have regularly utilized models such as the Magura, SeaBaby, and Katran sea drones to control the Black Sea and attack the Russian fleet. 

The latest upgrade on Magura enables the integration of AIM-9X air-to-air missiles, allowing Ukrainian forces to counter Russian helicopters that engage in strikes against maritime drones.

This experience could lead to the Drone Wall project being expanded to maritime and ground drones, said Borsari. In Norway, maritime drones could be used to monitor the sea corridor with Russia or track their fleet. The key task would be enhancing situational awareness and detecting threats in advance.

Meanwhile the role of ground drones on Ukraine’s front lines is becoming more and more important due surveillance on the battlefield and the difficulty of moving unnoticed within 20-30 km of the frontlines. 

The Khartiia brigade, Third Assault brigade, 93rd Mechanized Brigade, and others are developing ground drones for use in assaults and logistics. In our Deep Dive, we broke down how Khartiia pulled off the first all-drone offensive in the Kharkiv region.

Ground drones can also replace humans for patrolling the terrain near borders where there is no active combat. Communication and connectivity with other sensors will be key here, said Borsari.

The role of Ukraine’s cutting-edge experience 

Ukrainian military personnel have the most experience in conducting combat operations in rapidly changing battlefield conditions. That’s why the best form of cooperation for NATO,  according to the source in Khartiia, would be the following:

• NATO military personnel train Ukrainian officers in combat operations according to Western doctrine;

• Ukrainian officers then adapt this to the realities of the battlefield;

• At the same time, Western officers learn from the Ukrainian experience.

Also, Ukrainian ground drone manufacturers already have strong experience in Ukraine’s drone line project. 

European countries can import this experience, Maksym Vasylchenko, co-founder and director of Tencore, the manufacturer of TerMIT ground drones, told Counteroffensive.Pro.

"The role of ground drones in the [Ukrainian] drone line is very significant. In some battalions, they completely replace armored vehicles. The key point is that the military loses a drone, not people. Plus, it's much cheaper," said Vasylchenko. 

Current combat conditions in Ukraine are also unique because the electronic warfare capabilities fielded by both sides are unparalleled by other nations, Lockwood said. During the development of Virtus, Stark cooperated with a Ukraine-based team and drone operators to understand their needs at the cutting-edge of denied environments in the electro-magnetic spectrum.

Manufacturing capacity is also one of Ukraine's strengths. In 2025, for example, 4.5 million FPV drones and 30,000 long-range drones are slated for production. All of this will go toward meeting the Ukrainian military's needs. The capabilities of domestic producers are significantly higher; they can produce more than the Ukrainian state can purchase, which can be directed towards European needs.

According to Tech Force in UA, a private manufacturers' union, 85 percent of private Ukrainian manufacturers are planning foreign relocation or have already done so. The primary reasons include a bureaucratic export control system, limited government order volumes, and security concerns. For example, Skyeton, a reconnaissance drone manufacturer, has production in Slovakia. 

Companies also often register intellectual property abroad, allowing them to participate in European tenders. This is how Drone Space Labs and Dwarf Engineering presented drones in Lithuania in early 2025 to participate in a UK tender.

Challenges in implementing the Drone Wall project

Participating countries must solve several issues, said Borsari from the CEPA think-tank:

• Funding – With the European Commission declining to fund the project, the US, EU, NATO, domestic governments, or private manufacturers could join to provide financing.

• Red tape – The procurement process in EU countries is lengthy and requires extensive documentation. Regulations don't take into account the current need for urgency.

• Risks for manufacturers – They will have to prepare infrastructure to be ready for rapid adaptation and scaling, which requires investment.

• The integration of each defense element into a unified system under NATO or the participating countries' umbrella which would be difficult and messy.

• Insufficient digitalization levels in some NATO countries could complicate information exchange and timely response processes.

The biggest challenge will be human training, Borsari stressed. Military personnel will have to be well-trained to operate the necessary weapons, and the time needed to master any new technology depends on the specific weapon. 

Learning to properly use the Virtus loitering munition, for instance, takes up to three days. While training operators to leverage new unmanned systems is reducing in time and complexity, greater challenges lie at the command and control level. It's a significant challenge to learn how to implement a wide variety of systems and leverage a fragmented network of software and battle management systems.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian companies are also constantly releasing new-and-improved drones that offer new capabilities and give Western drones a run for their money. For instance, Ukrainian drone maker DeViro produces the Bulava (meaning ‘mace’ in English) kamikaze drone, a more advanced version of the Russian Lancet that was recently deployed for the first time on the battlefield.

The standardization of products is also something Drone Wall countries will have to take into account. They need to determine who their main manufacturers will be to avoid maintenance difficulties; Ukraine has seen firsthand the need for this, as the country deals with issues from hundreds of manufacturers producing a wide range of products. This requires additional training and ammunition, complicating logistics and equipment maintenance. 

In the cases of Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Norway, Finland, and Poland, each country has its own manufacturers of drones, electronic warfare equipment, and other related products. Finland and Norway have proposed dividing the project into segments, with each country responsible for its own part. Information exchange would then occur in joint command and control centers.

Ground strike drones are also crucial for the Drone Wall–and they are so indispensable on the battlefield. They will be the next revolution, said Andriy Biletsky, Third Army Corps Commander. His Third Assault Brigade has its own R&D center to develop solutions needed by the military.

The First Medical Battalion developed its own ground drone, Maul, for the evacuation of wounded personnel, which features a protective superstructure on the platform to transport military personnel.

"Trench warfare won't go anywhere in the coming years. But effectiveness, enemy loss volume, and territorial losses will depend exclusively on technology development. Technology makes our infantry invulnerable while simultaneously making enemy infantry and equipment vulnerable. The impact ratio is approximately 80-90 percent technology to 10 classical warfare," said Biletsky.

The drone wall idea is based on reducing risks for the military. However, relying only on technology would be a big risk, said Borsari. There are some roles a drone simply can’t fill: A trained person, for instance, must be part of the ‘kill chain’, in order to be responsible for decisions and to manually respond to threats.

"Russia is ready for any type of contingency. We have seen the problem of, I will call it techno fetishism, where you will put cameras and turrets everywhere looking at Russia, but then the Russians will outsmart your system of defense and make it blind," he said.

Europe’s project must also take into account that Russia will keep adapting and creating new threats. They are developing new tactics, and in some cases, more effective ones than those of the Ukrainians, said the service member from the Khartiia brigade. 

For instance, Russia has a leg up in the use of fiber optic drones. They can set up an ambush on a logistics artery in the rear, waiting for a Ukrainian truck to pass by. That’s why European countries need to ensure that their logistics are protected not only by sensors but also by physical protection, such as nets.

There’s also another nightmare scenario, he said: 

The Russians may end up creating their own drone wall.

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