institute of europe
the institute of europe of the russian academy of sciences
Analytical paper IE RAS No 30, 2026 «NATO Drone Edge Initiative: Geopolitical Context, Technological Dimension, and Challenges for Russia»
- 21 July 2026
IE RAS presents Analytical papers of IE RAS No 30, 2026 «NATO Drone Edge Initiative: Geopolitical Context, Technological Dimension, and Challenges for Russia» (in Russian) by Sergey Grinyaev, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Chief Researcher at the Center for Arctic Research of the Department of Country Studies, Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences.
The article analyzes NATO Drone Edge initiative, announced at Ankara summit on July 7, 2026 as a result of the alliance's accumulated military-political and military-technical conclusions from the conflict in Ukraine. The author examines geopolitical prerequisites for launching the initiative, the role of unmanned systems in modern conflict, changes in the regulatory framework and military construction of NATO countries, as well as the technical and technological foundations of the new program. Special attention is paid to the role of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex as a channel for transferring combat experience to the European and American defense industries. It is concluded that Drone Edge means the transition of NATO to a more holistic model of collective adaptation in the field of unmanned and counter-unmanned systems and creates long-term military and strategic challenges for Russia.
