NATO opens counter-drone marketplace with 16 systems from five companies

NATO launched a counter-drone marketplace on November 5, 2026, enabling allied countries to order from a catalog of 16 preselected solutions without running a separate tender. 

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), which manages the marketplace, selected Alta Ares, Axon Enterprise, Northrop Grumman, OSL UK and Quantum Systems, according to the agency’s announcement. 

According to NATO, the selected capabilities have already been deployed in allied countries and Ukraine. They include static, transportable and mobile systems designed to protect military installations, critical infrastructure and troops on the move. 

Four scenarios, from airbase defense to convoy protection 

NCIA evaluated bids against four reference scenarios. Firstly, area protection covers a zone up to 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) in diameter, such as an airbase or logistics hub. Border protection extends coverage across a 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) border segment. 

Convoy protection covers a moving column up to 300 meters (984 feet) long, traveling at speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour (31 miles per hour). The fourth scenario, point protection, focuses on a single high-value asset or location, such as a command post or military installation. 

The framework contracts run for 18 months from signature, with an option to extend. NCIA plans to hold regular competitions in order to keep pace with changes in drone and counter-drone technology. 

NATO has also allocated €3.1 million ($3.5 million) to fund further testing of the selected systems by allied nations or NATO commands. 

Alta Ares secures six of the 16 lots 

Alta Ares Blackbird interceptor. (Credit: Alta Ares)On November 5, 2026, French counter-drone company Alta Ares announced that it had secured six of the 16 lots, covering area defense and border protection. 

Alta Ares was the only supplier selected for area defense across fixed, deployable and mobile configurations. NATO has yet to publish a complete breakdown of the lots awarded to each company. 

Alta Ares, which develops AI-powered counter-drone systems and interceptors, signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus Defence and Space in June 2026 to integrate its interceptors into Airbus’ Fortion IBMS command and control software. 

NATO’s counter-drone procurement push predates Drone Edge 

The marketplace forms part of Drone Edge, an initiative launched by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara on July 7, 2026. 

Under Drone Edge, allies committed to investing more than $40 billion (€35.6 billion) in counter-drone capabilities over five years.  

However, the counter-drone procurement competition predates Drone Edge. NCIA notified NATO nations of the planned framework on October 17, 2025, initially anticipating contract awards by January 30, 2026, with a one-year term. 

The notice restricted eligibility to operationally proven systems and allowed purchases, leases and lease-to-own arrangements. It excluded man-portable and wearable systems, which were to be handled through a separate procurement mechanism managed by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). 

On July 27, 2026, NSPA established five framework contracts for tactical and deployable counter-drone systems, selecting Axon, BSS, DEFSECINTEL, JISR and CS Group France. 

The procurement efforts come amid mounting pressure to strengthen NATO’s defenses against drones, particularly along its eastern flank. In May 2026, the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania called on NATO to move from air policing to air defense and reinforce allied forces in the Baltic states with counter-drone capabilities. 

In and of themselves, these framework agreements do not constitute purchase orders. Under NCIA’s original procurement plan, individual orders would be placed through subsequent contracts with the selected suppliers.The post NATO opens counter-drone marketplace with 16 systems from five companies appeared first on AeroTime.

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