sdu.dk Center for War Studies Military Drones #sdudk in Europe Research Report by Dominika Kunertova The European Defense Market and the Spread of Military UAV technology Spring/Summer 2019 Center for War Studies Military Drones in Europe Photo from www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com 4 · Center for War Studies / Military Drones in Europe Center for War Studies The Center for War Studies was established in 2012 as a At CWS, our vision is to shape and contribute to the high profile and high quality research pole dedicated to major debates on the past, present and future of war, the multidisciplinary study of war. and its impact on societies. We bring together academics from political science, law, history and culture in order War is the most dramatic event in human affairs, and to illuminate the multiple dimensions of war and its prevention, conduct and consequences define and peace, thus creating one of Europe’s largest and most shape human societies. The enormous importance of diverse research environment dedicated to this issue. studying and understanding war therefore stems from its We proudly go outside of the ivory tower and bring destructive and transformative nature. our research on war to the heart of societal debates, through engagement with military institutions, political As an academic field of research, war studies is focused on authorities and the public. Our research also informs the changing character of war and its relation to peace. our educational programs, at the University of Southern It is essentially problem-driven and multidisciplinary, Denmark, notably the Master of International Security borrowing from the social sciences, technical sciences and Law (MOISL). 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Find out more about the Center and its research at www.sdu.dk/en/cws Military Drones in Europe / Contents · 5 Contents 05 Contents 07 Tables 08 Abstract 10 Executive Summary 14 Acknowledgments 15 Abbreviations 16 Section One: Report Context 17 Conceptual Note 22 Section Two: European Military Drone Landscape 23 High Altitude Long Endurance UAVs 24 Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAVs 30 Tactical and Small UAVs 36 Section Three: NATO vs the EU – Defense vs Economy 38 Enabling Mechanisms 42 Funding Mechanisms 45 Networking Mechanisms 48 Section Four: UAVs, Future Warfare, and Multinational Defense Cooperation 48 Future Unmanned Technology 49 Drone as Force Multiplier 50 Drone as Weapon 52 Drone as Threat 53 Unmanned Technology Spill-Over 53 Transatlantic Framework of Cooperation 61 Conclusions 64 Annex I Database of European Military Drones Military Drones in Europe / Tables · 7 Tables 11 TABLE 1 Key dynamics on the European defense market 17 TABLE 2 Unmanned Aerial Systems Classification 19 TABLE 3 UAS per armed service 23 TABLE 4 Drone clubs in Europe 30 TABLE 5 The most popular foreign TUAV and SUAV platforms in Europe 31 TABLE 6 Selected TUAV platforms developed in Europe 32 TABLE 7 Selected SUAV platforms developed in Europe 37 TABLE 8 NATO and the EU: comparing strengths and weaknesses 38 TABLE 9 NATO and EU institutional mechanisms Figures 25 FIGURE I European MALE drone landscape 30 FIGURE 2 European MALE drone clubs 8 · Abstract / Military Drones in Europe Abstract This report provides the critical insights that national the category of smaller UAVs. The next-generation UAV governments and defense companies need in order to technology driven by the increasing level of autonomy navigate the European military drone landscape and and the concepts of manned-unmanned teaming and offers a guide to their strategic planning and investment. swarming, together with the development of counter- Observing the international proliferation of military drone systems, will characterize the future drone race on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), also known as drones, the European defense market. the report puts together a comprehensive overview of military drones in Europe to conceptualize the diffusion The report proceeds in three steps. First, it maps the of UAV technology and the competition dynamics on military drone capabilities in selected seventeen European the European defense market. This political-strategic countries with respect to all three main classes of drones: comparative analysis identifies and qualitatively assesses advanced, tactical, and small. The resulting drone clubs the key developments in the European military drone are based on countries’ procurement strategies and landscape. The report puts forward that despite the defense cooperation patterns. Second, the report adds continuing proliferation of military drones in Europe, an institutional layer to the analysis. It assesses the significant differences in military drone capabilities persist strengths and weaknesses of both NATO and the EU in among European countries. Importantly, no European terms of existing institutional channels central to the indigenous advanced drone has achieved full operational development of UAV capability, especially in the context capability yet. In this respect, the North Atlantic Treaty of the emerging EU-wide regulatory framework and its Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU), each growing role in the defense and security domain. Third, via its own institutional logic, act as facilitators of the the concluding analysis of future trends in the military military technology diffusion through various enabling, UAV technology further elaborates on drone warfare and funding, and networking mechanisms. The commercial defense cooperation in Europe. sector further animates the European defense market in Military Drones in Europe / Abstract · 9 Photo from schiebel.net 10 · Executive Summary / Military Drones in Europe Executive Summary This report provides a close look at the diffusion of is the only European country which has used armed military UAV technology in Europe. It identifies the key drones in lethal operations. France will become the developments on the European defense market with second European weaponizer of MALE drones. respect to all main categories of military drones, based on their aerodynamic characteristics (advanced HALE 3. European countries have kicked off several and MALE, tactical, and small), and assesses the role of projects aimed at developing advanced drones, NATO and the EU in shaping the European military drone as the acquisition of foreign technology goes against landscape. This institutional add-on reflects the context European industrial interests and compromises EU’s of the emerging EU-wide regulatory framework for drone industrial autonomy. Today the most important one market and the EU’s growing role in defense and security. is the Eurodrone project, supported by the European Ultimately, the report provides the critical insights that Defence Agency, that may deliver a European MALE defense companies and national governments need in drone by 2025 and introduce more competition vis- order to navigate the European military drone landscape à-vis the United States. France, Germany, Italy, and and offers a guide to their strategic planning and Spain are leading these development efforts. Yet, as investment. of now, Europeans have not moved from design concepts and demonstrators to operational Observing the international proliferation of military platforms. UAVs, the report identifies the key developments on the European defense market with respect to military 4. The continuing popularity of American small and UAVs by assessing the following criteria: 1) innovation; tactical drones among European countries is linked 2) NATO-EU interface; and 3) transatlantic framework not only to the fact that they are readily available, of cooperation. This report has put together an up-to- proven, and interoperable platforms, but also to the date database that consists of open-sourced data about European countries’ experience from Afghanistan military UAVs in seventeen European countries, which where they learnt how to operate them. constitutes the critical sample of the European military drone landscape. This made it possible to conduct a 5. Rapid developments and innovation driven by the political-strategic mapping of existing national military commercial market are typical for the category UAV inventories, procurement practices, and future of small and tactical drones. Commercialization investment plans in unmanned technologies in Europe. and the development of dual-use drone technology The report then analyses existing NATO’s and EU’s have changed how and where the military procures enabling, funding, and networking mechanisms that are its equipment. This has resulted into the civilian sector central to the development and spread of military UAV setting the trends in lower classes of unmanned tech- technology. nology. Yet the European drone market remains atomized and uncoordinated, with a room for The findings indicate the following ten main take-aways: improvement with regard to civil-military relations. 1. European countries lag behind the United States 6. Congested European airspace poses major in the development of military UAV technology. technical challenges to military drone operators. They have not succeeded in producing an operational Safety regulations and standards remain an obstacle advanced European drone yet. European countries for flying military drones