Reconnaissance drones: Netherlands armed forces team up with Zephro on further development

Existing reconnaissance drones of the Netherlands armed forces will in future be further developed by their drone task force together with Zephro. The Dutch Ministry of Defence announced this new industrial partnership a few days before Christmas. The contract was signed on 18 December by Gijs Tuinman, State Secretary for Defence.

Drones move into focus

For some time, the Netherlands has focused on drones – on their benefits as well as their risks. In October, for example, the country joined the US CCA programme. Just under a month later, the “Counter Strikedrone Challenge” called on industry to present and develop ideas and products for drone protection. The largest investment to date came at the end of November: Gijs Tuinman announced the procurement of additional counter-drone capacities worth several billion euros.

More and more Ministry of Defence money is also flowing into drone development and production. By investing in domestic industry, the army hopes to be able to hold out longer in a possible fight. At the same time, the Dutch drone industry must remain internationally relevant, the ministry says. Industry is therefore to be involved in military developments and technologies. For drones, there are partnerships with Dutch companies, knowledge institutions and other partners.

In addition, the military organisation promotes the development and purchase of drones in the Netherlands through the Action Plan for Production Security of Unmanned Systems (APOS). The plan is to ensure that the Ministry of Defence has modern and reliable unmanned systems available at all times.

Drone protection in view alongside reconnaissance drones

For the “Counter Strikedrone Challenge”, the ministry cooperated with the partners of the public-private platform Defport. 55 proposals were received in total; an independent commission is currently assessing them. In the end, four companies are to further develop their solutions and test them in May next year during the exercise “Fighter Lion”.

Because the approach has proven successful, the Dutch Ministry of Defence intends to continue it. A second challenge of this kind is already scheduled for the first quarter of 2026, in which Dutch companies can again present innovative solutions.