NATO officials and military personnel welcomed successful drone interceptions with measured applause during demonstrations at Latvia’s Sēlija testing range last week. The event highlighted both the advances European defense startups are making in counter-drone technology and the continuing challenges of reliably neutralizing airborne threats.
Not every demonstration went smoothly. A local company, Eraser, initially failed to intercept its target, allowing the drone to return undamaged. Later, during another test, the company’s CEO, Edgars Gauručs, was so focused on the operation that he nearly missed the successful engagement. Swedish firm Nordic Air Defense experienced mixed results with its Kreuger 100 interceptor, achieving a hit on the first attempt, missing the second, and successfully striking the target again on the third try.
The need for affordable and effective counter-drone systems has become increasingly urgent for NATO. Several countries along the alliance’s eastern border have struggled to respond to repeated drone incursions in recent months. At the same time, Russia deploys thousands of drones daily in Ukraine, while recent conflicts involving Iranian drones have demonstrated how quickly expensive missile inventories can be depleted.
According to Major Modris Kairišs, head of Latvia’s Autonomous Systems Competence Center, drone technology is currently advancing faster than the systems designed to stop it. Speaking at the testing range on May 26, he noted that counter-drone defenses must work flawlessly every time, whereas a single attacking drone only needs to evade defenses once to inflict damage.
Latvia recently experienced this vulnerability firsthand after several Ukrainian drones, reportedly diverted by Russian electronic warfare systems, entered its airspace without being intercepted. In response, the country is deploying mobile counter-drone units equipped with interceptor systems developed by Origin Robotics and Eraser along its eastern frontier.
Cost efficiency remains a major concern. In a report published on May 26, PitchBook analyst Ali Javaheri highlighted the imbalance between inexpensive attack drones and costly defensive missiles. While Shahed-type drones can cost between $15,000 and $50,000, intercepting them often requires missiles priced between $1 million and $12 million. Javaheri suggested that sustainable counter-drone solutions should ideally cost less than $30,000 per engagement.
The Sēlija demonstrations, hosted at NATO’s newly established unmanned systems testing facility, featured a variety of innovative concepts from European startups. These ranged from autonomous interceptor drones to carrier platforms and high-speed jet-powered systems designed to counter faster aerial threats. Many of the showcased technologies have been influenced by lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, with some already tested in combat conditions.
Origin Robotics presented its Blaze interceptor, a system selected for Latvia’s border defense teams and expected to be supplied to Ukraine in the near future. The autonomous quadcopter uses radar to detect targets and computer vision technology to track and pursue them. Human operators retain authority over the final decision to activate the drone’s fragmentation warhead.
Weather conditions posed additional challenges during the event. Light rain reduced visibility across the two-square-kilometer testing area, while military officials observed the demonstrations via a large outdoor video display. Despite the conditions, Blaze successfully identified and engaged a target drone supplied by Latvian manufacturer Temeso.
Ukraine continues to serve as a benchmark for modern drone warfare. Several companies participating in the demonstrations emphasized that their systems had already been deployed or tested there. Although interceptor drones existed before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has dramatically accelerated their adoption, with production expected to reach 100,000 units in 2025, according to Ukrainian defense authorities.
Major General Andis Dilāns, Latvia’s undersecretary of state for logistics, emphasized that drones, electronic warfare capabilities, autonomous systems, and rapid innovation cycles have become central to modern military effectiveness. He said Latvia intends to develop the Sēlija training area into a key NATO hub where governments and industry partners can test technologies, validate operational concepts, and accelerate development.
Supporting this vision, Latvia recently signed a letter of intent with the Netherlands, enabling Dutch armed forces to use the facility for drone and counter-drone testing and training exercises.
The Sēlija range is one of five innovation testing centers NATO is establishing under its Rapid Adoption Action Plan. These facilities are intended to simplify technology testing, demonstrate operational effectiveness, and reduce procurement risks by validating capabilities before deployment.
Among the notable demonstrations, Nordic Air Defense showcased the Kreuger 100, a lightweight carbon-fiber interceptor launched from a larger carrier drone. The carrier platform can also function as a communications relay or host surveillance sensors to support target acquisition.
During testing, the Kreuger conducted three simulated engagements. The first achieved a successful head-on intercept within the effective range of its fragmentation payload. A second attempt from a more challenging angle failed to close the necessary distance, while the third engagement successfully struck the target. The company hopes to reduce production costs enough for the interceptor to be deployed as a disposable air-defense asset.
As Russia adapts its tactics by introducing faster, jet-powered attack drones, German companies are developing systems capable of matching these higher-speed threats. Munich-based RDC Systems displayed Raven, a 3D-printed interceptor that combines rotor propulsion with a rocket-assisted launch system. The company claims NATO radar testing measured speeds of up to 450 kilometers per hour.
Another Munich startup, JetDrones, presented a jet-powered interceptor designed to engage Shahed-type drones flying at altitudes between four and eight kilometers. According to the company, such targets would traditionally require expensive missile systems like IRIS-T. Its drone can operate autonomously or under human supervision.
Representatives from JetDrones explained that they were demonstrating the system using first-person-view control. They noted that incorporating radar would significantly increase costs, while Ukrainian operators have stressed that affordable pricing remains essential for practical deployment.
Eraser concluded the event with a successful interception of a Temeso target drone using a faster variant of its modular platform. An earlier test involving a slower version and a smaller target had produced inconclusive results.
While monitoring the final engagement, CEO Edgars Gauručs remarked that environmental factors such as cloud cover and sunlight can make visual target tracking difficult. Moments later, the target was successfully neutralized. Afterwards, he admitted that the stress of the demonstration prevented him from fully observing whether the interception occurred autonomously or through manual control.
Reflecting on the experience, Gauručs candidly acknowledged that he was so focused on the operation that he nearly missed the successful outcome altogether.
