Ukrainian Drone Operators Participate in Mighty Arrow 26 Exercises in Finland

Ukrainian drone operators participated in the Mighty Arrow 26 exercises currently being held in Finland.

According to the official Finnish Land Forces page on X, their primary role was to support Finnish partners in conducting drone operations, with a particular focus on FPV drones.

Mighty Arrow 26 is a large-scale field exercise led by the Finnish Army, held until May 5, 2026, at the Niinisalo training area. The drills took place in southwestern Finland and involved around 2,800 personnel, 500 pieces of equipment, and 160 tanks.

In addition to Finnish forces, contingents from Estonia, Lithuania, and the United States also participated. The organizers created conditions of a “constant micro-drone threat,” bringing the exercise as close as possible to the realities of the Russia–Ukraine war.

Notably, this is not the first time Ukrainian specialists have helped train NATO forces.

In April 2026, Ukrainian drone operators were also involved in the large-scale Aurora 26 exercises in Sweden. UAV operators and other experts took part in simulated combat scenarios, joint training with allied units, and specialized workshops.

The main focus was on warfare using unmanned systems, particularly naval and air defense drones.

Overall, the involvement of Ukrainian crews started in September 2024, when Ukraine took part in the specialized counter-UAS exercise C-UAS TIE in the Netherlands. During those drills, specialists tested more than 60 drone interception systems.

In 2025, Ukrainian drone specialists also participated in several major military exercises. One of them was Siil/Hedgehog 2025 in Estonia in May, where a 10-person Ukrainian team acted as a simulated enemy force.

During the drills, they managed to simulate the destruction of 17 armored vehicles and two NATO battalions in just half a day. In September of the same year, Ukraine joined the REPMUS 25 exercises in Portugal.

These exercises focused on maritime and aerial systems, with Ukraine’s DELTA combat system used as the main command-and-control platform for the multinational force.

Militarnyi reported that the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) plan to involve Ukrainian veterans in teaching at military academies in Germany.

According to General Christian Freuding, the experience of Ukrainian forces in real combat conditions is extremely valuable. Traditional training cannot fully replicate such practice.