NATO forces tested new drone technologies at military bases in Troia, Portugal, and Den Helder, the Netherlands this week as the alliance tries to prepare against new emerging threats.

In Troia, forces from multiple nations experimented with aerial and submarine drones to increase their surveillance capabilities.

In Den Helder, NATO special forces produced and tested 3D-printed remote-controlled boats in collaboration with academics, researchers, and private companies.

The aim of the two linked exercises was to test and integrate new unmanned technologies that could be used in the maritime domain - above, on or below the sea.

The experiments drew on experience from the war in Ukraine, where the use of aerial drones and uncrewed boats has developed rapidly. Special forces from Ukraine took part in the exercise in The Netherlands.

Rear Admiral Massimiliano Rossi, chief of staff at NATO's SOD (Special Operations Forces Command), said recent events like the incursion of Russian drones into Poland showed the importance of having low-cost solutions to tackle enemy threats.

He praised 3D-printing as a way of producing "very low-cost surface (vessels) or other things in order to have less impact on our economics”.

The exercise also included companies developing sensors to detect threats to critical underwater infrastructure, such as pipelines and cables in the North and Baltic seas.

The exercise took place amid various incidents in last weeks of drone and Russian jets incursions in European airspace.

Denmark said on Thursday (September 25) that drone incursions overnight, which briefly closed two airports and affected military installations, were hybrid attacks aimed at spreading fear, though authorities could not identify the perpetrators.

The incident, the second in two days in Denmark alone, is part of what some European officials see as a pattern of Russian disruption that has exposed the vulnerability of European airspace at a time of high tensions between Moscow and NATO.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

TROIA, PORTUGAL (SEPTEMBER 16, 2025) (NATO - Editorial use only)

1. VARIOUS OF UNCREWED AERIAL VEHICLE FLYING

2. DRONE FLYING OVER SEE (MUTE)

DEN HELDER, NETHERLANDS (SEPTEMBER 24, 2025) (REUTERS - Access All)

3. VARIOUS OF REMOTELY OPERATED 3D-PRINTED UNCREWED MARINE VEHICLE

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NAVY REAR ADMIRAL, MASSIMILIANO ROSSI, SAYING:

"Have you seen the incident in Poland? You have to send very expensive jet fighters against very cheap air drones, and in the maritime domain, it's the same. So with very cheap machines like 3D printing, we are able to realise very low-cost surface or other things in order to have less impact on our economics."

5. VARIOUS OF ACADEMICS AND ENGINEERING COMPANY OWNER PREPARING UNCREWED MARINE VEHICLE

6. PORT/ MILITARY TENT

7. VARIOUS OF 3D PRINTING MACHINE CREATING MARINE VEHICLES

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. NAVY CAPTAIN, KURT MUELLER, SAYING:

"So this is something that the machines can work all night, right? They don't need to take breaks and depending on the size of the printer, you know, the printer that you saw today, you could really, you could pack it probably into a shipping container. And you can move it to where you're operating. So you're really concerned with taking a printer rather than taking all of the associated equipment."

9. ENGINEER WORKING ON THE REMOTE CONTROLLED 3D PRINTED VEHICLES

10. VARIOUS OF 3D-PRINTED DRONE PARTS

11. VARIOUS OF MILITARY BOATS

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NAVY REAR ADMIRAL, MASSIMILIANO ROSSI, SAYING:

"We are trying to defend critical underwater infrastructures with the newest technologies, but you will always be a little bit behind the enemy, because also the threat is evolving. And this is why we are trying, through innovation and through collaboration with academia, with the industry, and with the soft operators, and the lessons learned that we gain from other partners to gain advantage against our enemies."

TROIA, PORTUGAL (SEPTEMBER 16, 2025) (NATO - Editorial use only)

13. VARIOUS OF NATO UNCREWED MARINE VEHICLE LOBSTER ROBOTICS’ UNDERWATER

14. VARIOUS OF KELLUU UNCREWED AIRSHIP LAUNCH INTO TSKY

15. UNCREWED AERIAL VEHICLE TAKING OFF

16. UNCREWED AERIAL VEHICLE FLYING