Artificial intelligence and 3D printing are just two of the technologies that are accelerating the production of increasingly sophisticated drones, or unmanned aerial systems (UASs). And this drone technology is driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine—and the development is rapid.
Greater global instability is also fuelling the need to strengthen Europe's security and defence preparedness. However, fortifying European defence requires cooperation across the various sectors and European borders to create shared and integrated solutions.
This is according to DTU professor Rasmus Larsen, who chairs the steering committee of the National Defence Technology Centre (NFC). Here, DTU works together with other Danish universities, the government-approved Technological Service Institutes (GTS institutes), the Danish Armed Forces, and the defence industry to bolster the development of defence and security technologies such as advanced drones.
"It has become very clear that drones have transformed the way the war is fought and they will also change the strategies that drive how you wage war, and how you prepare to defend yourself in a war situation. Today, we're seeing massive technological development. Every time one side in the war between Ukraine and Russia introduces a new innovation, it is only a matter of time before the other side has a counter-response. It's a rush to innovate which every country's armed forces want to learn from—including our own and NATO's," says Rasmus Larsen.
Deterrence as defence
Rasmus Larsen points out that Danish R&D environments such as DTU have many of the solutions needed to improve Denmark's national security. With regard to drone technologies, the research includes developing their mechanical design, advanced control systems, and the methods by which drones can work together to make them more efficient, robust, accurate, and easier to use.
Work is also being carried out on defence technologies, detecting foreign drones from long distances, and being able to jam drone communications and electronic systems. In Denmark, such drone technologies are being tested and developed in several different environments.
One of them is Denmark's largest indoor drone centre, the DTU Space Drone Center. Another is the Center for Security DTU, which is Denmark's largest interdisciplinary environment for research, teaching, and development in defence and security technology. Earlier this year, the Danish Minister of Defence, Troels Lund Poulsen, launched the Danish Defence UAS Center at HCA Airport in Odense on Funen and on the Sjællands Odde peninsula in north-west Zealand. The centre will train defence personnel and build up experience together with industry and universities—both in terms of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs).
"At the National Technology Defence Centre, we see our work as a combined national effort. It's not about a competition between universities, but about Danish knowledge institutions working together to help strengthen our armed forces and the defence industry—for the benefit of Denmark's national security. At the heart of a strong armed force is the ability to deter—to make the cost of an attack so high that the enemy knows in advance that it is not worth the trouble. This kind of deterrence requires having the right technologies and capabilities to counter any threat," says Rasmus Larsen.
From seven to 500 drone types
Emilie Berthelsen has followed how Ukrainians have used and developed drones since the start of the war. She is doing a PhD in military innovation management at the Royal Danish Defence College and DTU Compute. She says that Ukraine produced seven types of drones when the conflict broke out three years ago. Now, there are more than 500 different types of Ukrainian-made drones, which makes the Ukrainians pioneers within drone innovation.
"One of the first things we saw back in 2022 were these small, tactical flying drones." "Many of them were hobby drones that you can buy everywhere. They started being used when the soldiers suddenly had to be sent to the front. However, some of the soldiers were farmers with experience of flying drones in connection with monitoring their fields. And this led to a natural increase in drone users," says Emilie Berthelsen.
Drones made of carbon fibre and strips
Since then, innovation has developed apace. Today, Ukraine's drone fleet is built on investments in local technology, close cooperation between soldiers and engineers, and, in particular, a wave of young Ukrainian developers who have turned commercial drones into precision weapons costing just USD 400 apiece. Earlier this year, Ukraine carried out one of the most remarkable attacks of the war when a swarm of combat UAVs struck Russian airbases and destroyed at least 41 bombers about 4,000 km from Ukraine.
"The most incredible thing about the developments in drone technology is the way in which the different systems are being combined. We're already seeing USVs which can carry up to 10 smaller USVs. On the battlefield, drones are also being used together for maximum impact. Late last year, Ukraine carried out an uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) strike without any visible people. In this way, drone development is reflecting a broader trend in modern warfare, where robots are increasingly taking the front line while the operators control them from the rear," says Emilie Berthelsen.
She is particularly surprised by the strategic value of being able to switch between different systems, which makes it harder for the Russians to target their countermeasures:
"It's not about having the most sophisticated drones, but about developing drones that are good enough—and being able to switch between them." "Why spend millions on a drone that only flies for 15 minutes when you can build one out of carbon fibre and strips and advanced AI modules for much less? It's the contrast between the bare bones model and the high-tech functionality that makes it so interesting."
Minimizing bureaucracy
Arne Døssing Andreasen shares this view. He is on leave from his position as a senior researcher at DTU Space, and is currently CEO of the DTU spin-out UMag Solutions, which produces drone solutions for mine detection in the military and offshore wind sectors. By using drone-mounted magnetic technology, the company can identify mines and unexploded munitions on land and at sea much more effectively than conventional mine clearance using hand-held detectors.
If Arne Døssing Andreasen were to plan how to safeguard Danish and European armed forces in future, he would not think in terms of overly conventional systems such as combat aircraft and tanks. Instead, he would abolish consortia requirements, and allow politicians to directly allocate funds to researchers in strategically selected areas in order to help speed up slow and bureaucratic application processes. This also applies to DTU, because, according to Arne Døssing Andreasen:
"DTU has all the knowledge we need: Quantum technology, manufacturing, electronics, aerodynamics, sensors, and space technology—DTU covers it all. However, faster development is needed, as well as removing the usual obstacles such as applying for funding, administering budgets, management, and reporting. If researchers were able to skip the bureaucracy associated with submitting applications and start projects directly with funding from an acceleration fund, we could develop high-tech solutions in Europe and strengthen both Denmark and Europe as a whole."
Freedom and democracy
Rasmus Larsen agrees with Arne Døssing Andreasen that there is a shortage of programmes designed to support the early innovation that takes place at DTU. At the same time, he sees several indications that the level of interest in developing defence technologies in other areas is accelerating.
When the National Defence Technology Centre sought research projects that could be relevant to the Danish Armed Forces, they received 100 proposals from consortia, which was more than expected. Rasmus Larsen is also seeing a growing interest from DTU's bachelor, master, and PhD students, who are asking how they can make a difference. Emilie Berthelsen is doing the same. She knows several people who have participated in the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), which invites students, developers, or early start-up projects to hackathons to try their hand at solving real challenges within defence and security technology. In addition, Emilie Berthelsen is seeing a boom in Danish drone companies looking for employees.
According to Rasmus Larsen, the growing interest in drones is due to more people realizing that the freedom and democracy we enjoy in our society can only be preserved if we are able to defend ourselves against those who want to undermine these values:
"After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, many European countries cashed in on the so-called peace dividend and cut defence spending in the belief that peace was here to stay, but that illusion was shattered when war broke out in Ukraine." "It has significantly changed our perception of national security. Many now acknowledge that we must actively take steps towards to building a new and stronger security structure in Europe."
