Overview

• UK armed forces minister Luke Pollard warned that NATO’s traditional procurement processes cannot keep up with drone technology that evolves every two to three weeks on the front line.
• Delegates at the Drone Summit in Latvia called for startup-style innovation and sustainable supply chains to mass-produce tens of thousands of drones swiftly.
• Ukraine has ramped up drone manufacturing using commercially available Chinese components, operating clandestine assembly facilities that could form the basis of a defense export industry.
• Russia escalated its coercive drone strategy by deploying Iran-designed Shahed drones and mounting its largest combined drone and missile bombardment on Ukrainian cities in May.
• The surge in unmanned systems is reshaping battlefield tactics, heightening risks for ground troops, and prompting Europe and the U.S. to reevaluate defense spending priorities.