News item | 01-04-2026 | 15:23
The Royal Netherlands Army is expanding its combat units with drone functions as quickly as possible. In the first phase there will be approximately 600 places. Fighting with and against drones is a requirement in the current battlefield. The war in Ukraine also shows this. A ‘drone day’ at the barracks in Oirschot today marked this important step.
Military personnel within NATO have been using drone technology for decades. Yet nowhere is it so intertwined in the battle as on the battlefield in Ukraine. Unmanned systems were definitively given a decisive place in military operations here.
Drones impact all aspects and dimensions of combat. According to Commander of the Armed Forces General Onno Eichelsheim, the armed forces must therefore control all facets.
“We must be able to defend ourselves against drones, but also use them in every possible way. And in the process, master the lightning-fast innovation cycle.”
The armed forces are fully committed to this. With special camouflage and computer-aided targeting equipment for the individual soldier. Furthermore, with reconnaissance and attack drones for a group and larger groups. Units at battalion level will have access to a mobile innovation element that can be taken to the front. This allows technicians to continuously work with users to improve drones.
Behind the front line
Because the war in Ukraine also makes this clear: the drone battle is largely being fought behind the front line. In the interplay of military personnel and innovative companies that are closer than ever to the fight.
“The one with the fastest innovation cycle has the upper hand,” says Eichelsheim.
Defense therefore works closely with Dutch companies and knowledge organizations such as TNO.
