Demonstration of the SPS-supported project "Unexploded Ordinance (UXO) Identification and Classification for Ukraine (MINESEYE)" on 16 July 2026 at Unmanned Valley in the Netherlands.
On 16 July 2026, the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme convened researchers - along with national representatives and NATO subject-matter experts - to demonstrate security-related applications of uncrewed and autonomous systems, and to chart future cooperation in the field.
At Unmanned Valley, a testing facility for uncrewed systems located in the Netherlands, the SPS Programme hosted a series of live demonstrations of SPS-supported research. Project teams demonstrated air- and land-based systems with real-world applications, including search and rescue missions and demining efforts.
The demonstrations opened an SPS-hosted cluster workshop on uncrewed and autonomous systems, which included two days of expert-level discussions on the broad range of innovative SPS research projects that are currently exploring both the applications of such systems and their specific challenges and vulnerabilities. Sessions focused on decision-making systems, advanced sensing and navigation, and the reliability of systems operating in challenging conditions. Participants compared results across their projects, identified shared technical challenges and discussed opportunities for future collaboration.
