Countering UMPK: JATEC and NATO Command Test a European Company’s Solution

Tests of a radar, an interceptor drone, and AI-powered software for countering guided bombs were conducted at a training ground in France.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported the latest trials.

The testing was carried out by the NATO–Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Center (JATEC) and the NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT). Representatives of Ukraine’s innovation sector, as well as experts from the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, also participated in the trials.

“A simulated ‘enemy’ target was identified, tracked, and locked on by a radar equipped with an advanced sensor system. Then, using AI-based software, the interceptor drone followed a pre-calculated trajectory to neutralize the target,” the report stated.

The tests are part of a project launched in March 2025 during the 15th NATO Innovation Challenge. Forty teams took part in the competition, from which three winners were selected. The jury included experts from NATO ACT, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the Unmanned Systems Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Currently, products from the French companies Alta Ares (AI-based detection algorithms), ATREYD (container-based interceptor swarms), and the German company Tytan Technologies (interception systems) are being tested.

“The development has progressed from concept to prototypes of varying levels of technological implementation and is intended to protect Ukrainian service members and civilians from one of the most destructive threats of modern warfare,” the Ministry of Defense stated.

Recently, Militarnyi reported that solutions for countering guided aerial bombs, developed by European companies as part of the NATO Innovation Challenge, are still being refined.

At that time, Colonel Valeriy Vyshnivskyi, the Joint NATO–Ukraine Center’s Director of Program Implementation, emphasized that these solutions could also be effective against strike drones such as the Shahed drones.