Ukraine and NATO Have Launched Competition to Find Weapons to Block Russian Airfields

Ukraine and NATO have launched a competition to find weapons capable of blocking the use of Russian military airfields.

This was reported by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and NATO.

“Every Russian air mission targeting Ukraine begins at an airfield. Therefore, together with NATO, we are launching a search for solutions to permanently block enemy airfields,” the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine stated.

NATO’s Allied Command Transformation and the NATO–Ukraine Joint Analysis Training and Education Centre have announced an innovative competition called ‘Persistent Airfield Denial.’

Participants are asked to propose technologies that will help permanently limit the enemy’s use of aviation infrastructure: aircraft, runways, fuel and ammunition depots, as well as ground support facilities.

Defense companies, startups, and engineering teams are invited to participate.

The competition’s prize fund totals up to €250 thousand euros. The submission period runs through July 20, 2026, and the finalists will be announced on August 11.

The competition is organized by the Office of the Supreme Allied Command Transformation (SACT), located in Norfolk, Virginia, USA.

Contest rules

The contest states that Russia’s ability to deploy aircraft from protected rear-area airfields remains one of its greatest asymmetric advantages in the current war.

Russian tactical aviation employs guided aerial bombs (GABs), cruise missiles, and other long-range weapons beyond the range of standard fire control systems.

The organizers emphasize that every airfield is a critically important vulnerability. Rather than intercepting individual missiles, the concept calls for continuously limiting the functionality of airfield infrastructure.

The main goal of the competition is to identify technologically independent solutions capable of ensuring sustained and continuous engagement or neutralization of aircraft, runways, fuel and lubricant depots, ammunition stockpiles, and ground infrastructure, thereby preventing the stable operation of enemy aviation.

The competition is based on the combat experience of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and calls for the development of autonomous, all-weather systems resistant to electronic warfare—including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drone swarms—that can be deployed within three months.

Key requirements for the systems include resistance to electronic warfare, full operational capability in the absence of GPS, and the ability to function under active countermeasures. The use of artificial intelligence for autonomous target detection and engagement is also envisaged.

Furthermore, the systems must operate day and night, in any season, and under various weather conditions—including fog, heavy rain, and snow—while also being capable of simultaneously engaging multiple targets.

Special attention was given to ease of use and logistics: the solutions must require minimal operator training and allow for maintenance at the brigade level and below.

The finalists will present their designs in Warsaw. The three winners will share a prize pool of €250 thousand and will have the opportunity for further integration with the Alliance’s defense structures.

The competition is open to organizations that are officially registered and have ultimate beneficial owners in NATO countries or Ukraine.