NATO unveiled plans on Tuesday for a fivefold increase in trained drone operators by the end of 2027, part of efforts to prepare allies for the kind of conflict that’s unfolding in Ukraine.
Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary general, announced the new “Drone Edge” initiative, which will include more than $40 billion in investments from allies in counter-drone capabilities over the next five years.
“Allies are also committing to train five times as many drone operators in their armed forces by the end of 2027,” Rutte said at the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum in Ankara.
NATO will launch a counter-drone marketplace so that allies can buy new technology at scale and fast. The project could resemble a Ukrainian digital platform that allows soldiers and units to purchase weaponry from drones to electronic warfare systems.
NATO said its Flight Training Europe program, which “facilitates all aircrew training” for 20 allies at centers across Europe, will be extended to cover training for drone operators.
“Drones have fundamentally altered, as we all know, the character of modern warfare, Rutte said, pointing to recent conflicts. “They have become a decisive factor on the battlefield. This is clear from what we see in Ukraine, in the Middle East, and across the alliance.”
“Allies themselves have seen repeated drone incursions,” Rutte added. “In response, NATO is rapidly expanding our ability to deploy and operate drones at scale.” He said that NATO is also focused on building strong counter-drone defenses.
US Army photo
The battlefield in Ukraine has featured a wide range of drones, from fixed-wing strike and reconnaissance aircraft to smaller first-person-view quadcopters and interceptors for air defense.
The training timeline really depends on the drone. Ukrainian operators previously told Business Insider that learning to fly an FPV drone, for example, can take up to a month. Once a pilot has that foundation, they said, learning to operate an interceptor can take just a few days. British forces, recalling lessons from the Ukrainians, shared that it takes at least 60 hours of hard work.
Business Insider recently visited the Killhouse Academy in Ukraine, where thousands of soldiers and civilians have been learning the basics of FPV piloting over short courses. The program underscores how drones have seeped into the whole of society.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at the Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, said that his country has the world’s “largest and the most advanced drone warfare capability.”
Although NATO doesn’t face the same wartime pressures that Kyiv does, Ukrainian officials and conflict experts have said that the West must better prepare for a modern battlefield — and do so with urgency.
NATO militaries are increasingly adding offensive and defensive drones to their arsenals, and the operator training program announced Tuesday could help allies prepare for future conflicts shaped by these systems.
“We are building a drone-ready alliance,” Rutte said, “leveraging the latest innovative technologies, investing in our transatlantic defense industries, and learning real-world lessons from the battlefield in Ukraine.”
