Over the past months, it has become clear how the threat posed by drones is evolving and increasingly impacting our everyday life. We have seen unidentified drones flying around European airports and severely disrupting civilian air traffic, as well as other Russian-owned systems violating NATO’s airspace alongside the eastern flank of the Alliance.
NATO and Allies are rising to the challenge with various initiatives to boost our counter-drone measures, further strengthening our air defences. Part of these efforts is Project Flytrap 4.5, a US-led initiative designed to test and evaluate off-the-shelf, scalable, cutting-edge counter-drone technologies, for possible fast procurement and future integration into Allied air defence systems. These tested systems can help Allies to detect and destroy drones at a lower cost and a higher efficiency.
This two-week event, held at the Putlos Training Area in Germany from 10 to 21 November 2025, brought together soldiers, procurement teams and industry partners to assess innovative solutions against simulated drone threats.
Footage includes a range of counter-drone technologies in action, including live-fire engagements against drones, as well as an interview with Capt. Kurt Bluneyer, Operations Officer for the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, U.S. Army.
