Counter-UAS put to the test: Czech Republic trials new technologies at “Drone Shield 2026”

Whether reconnaissance, fire control or direct attack: unmanned systems are changing the modern battlefield. As they develop so rapidly, armed forces need new ways to protect their own troops and military and civilian infrastructure – a task in which counter-UAS takes centre stage. The international exercise “Drone Shield 2026” is dedicated to these challenges.

The exercise runs from late September to early October at two locations: at the Moravian military training area of Březina near Vyškov, and in Lipník nad Bečvou at the NATEP-UGV test site (National Technological Test Bed for Unmanned Ground Systems), where unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are being tested. Within the Czech Ministry of Defence, the exercise is directed by two departments – one responsible for the development of communication and information systems, the other for the further development of the armed forces.

The organisers are supported by DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic), NATO’s innovation accelerator. Participants include members of the Czech Armed Forces, experts and dozens of defence and technology companies from the Czech Republic and abroad.

Counter-UAS as the interplay of many capabilities

Březina concentrates on defence against unmanned systems. In Lipník nad Bečvou, by contrast, unmanned ground vehicles, robotics and autonomy technologies are being put to the test – shown in the field, in mobility tests and in demonstrations of autonomous functions.

“The aim is not to present individual products, but to test new technologies and procedures under realistic military conditions and, above all, to examine how they work together”— Brigadier General Petr Šnajdárek

According to Šnajdárek, counter-drone defence becomes effective not through a single device, but only through the networking of different capabilities.

“The modern battlefield is evolving very quickly. The army must therefore be able to respond not only to new technologies, but also to new ways of using them”— Lieutenant Colonel Michal Peterek, director of the “Drone Shield 2026” exercise

The exercise findings are to feed into the further development of the Czech Army and allied armed forces.