NATO Officials Say Drone Stockpiles Risk Becoming Outdated, Urge New Procurement Models

Tarja Jaakola, NATO's assistant secretary general for defense industry innovation and armaments, said drone and counter-drone procurement requires new business and contract models with industry. She stated that the process is no longer like buying hardware, placing it in stockpiles, and waiting.

Jaakola called for buying small numbers of drones to train and test while maintaining production capacity and ongoing innovation.

Carsten Breuer, Germany's chief of defense, said Russia could be ready to start a war with NATO by as early as 2029. He questioned whether stockpiling millions of drones makes sense if those systems could be outdated by then. Breuer added that the focus must include innovating procurements and establishing permanent industrial bases that allow armed forces to test and update equipment.

James Patton Rogers, a drone expert at the Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute, said a key concern for Western militaries is how quickly drones become out of date. Davyd Aloian, deputy secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said speed is essential because solutions can become outdated within months.

Ukrainian companies supply and test equipment directly with individual units.

Soldiers make battlefield tweaks that manufacturers then fold into updated products. Frontline Robotics has supplied drones and weaponry to over 60 Ukrainian units and makes small changes to its products up to 20 times a month with major updates roughly every six months.

Ukrainian and foreign firms are building software-first and modular drones that can be upgraded remotely without pulling them out of service.