The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has approved the first Counter-small UAS (C-sUAS) procurement framework agreement in NATO’s history. 

The framework agreement, initially valid for three years, was awarded via COBBS BELUX BV, DroneShield’s and MyDefence, companies from Belgium and Luxembourg for the MyDefence Wingman (wearable, intuitive RF drone detectors) and Droneshield Dronegun Mk4 (handheld C-UAS effector) systems, on behalf of the Communications Cryptographic and Electronic (CCE) Support Partnership (SP) collaborative scheme. 

The CCE SP is managed by NSPA, with Belgium as the sponsoring Partnership Nation.

According to a relevant announcement, the framework agreement offers a unique provision of leasing, acquisition, and integrated logistics services. The innovative leasing arrangement enables end-users with the opportunity to trial the equipment and assess needs and requirements before committing to a full acquisition.  

Also read: European Union police forces select DroneGun Tactical counter drone weapon system. In the future we might also see it in Cyprus

Overall, the C-sUAS framework agreement addresses an emerging capability gap in the militarized drone domain by provisioning equipment to detect as well as neutralize small drone-based threats, which have grown exponentially in the last few years. 

In September 2023, the NATO Counter Unmanned Aircraft System Technical Interoperability Exercise (C-UAS TIE23) brought together military, scientific, and industry specialists to test high-tech commercial solutions used to detect, identify, and neutralize drones. 

NSPA is NATO’s organization for multinational acquisition, support, and sustainment in all domains. The Agency acts in the market to link industry capabilities and nation requirements to find the most cost-effective and efficient solutions, whether for national or collective defence.

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