Czech, Polish, and Ukrainian companies were named winners of the Persistent Airfield Denial innovation competition hosted by NATO Allied Command Transformation and the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre. The objective of the challenge is to identify technical solutions capable of restricting an adversary’s use of airfield infrastructure and aviation assets over the long term.
As reported by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the competition evaluated capabilities based on autonomy, scalability, electronic warfare resistance, and performance under restricted navigation and communication access.
The evaluation process incorporated combat experience from Ukraine to assess both technological novelty and practical application in modern combat environments. The organizers received more than sixty applications, with nine teams advancing to the final stage in Warsaw, Poland. A Czech team secured first place with a long-range solution operating with minimal external control, while a Polish team took second place with a proposal focused on pre-planned airfield infrastructure destruction. Developers from Ukraine placed third with an artificial intelligence module designed to increase the autonomy and accuracy of attack systems.
Finalist proposals were evaluated by NATO Allied Command representatives, DIANA personnel, and experts from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence, the Air Force Command, the Unmanned Systems Forces, and the National Guard’s Omega unit. The winning solutions will advance to testing and combat testing phases to determine their effectiveness and scaling potential.
