The latest headlines from Unmanned Airspace

Drone detection via 5G mobile networks is on the horizon. NATO is developing new ways of integrating 5G and AI technologies into its battlefield capabilities, including counter-UAS, and at the recent DiBaX 2026 demonstration in Riga, Latvia, outlined several new initiatives to speed the application of 5G networks to the front line. Meanwhile Ericsson and AT&T have demonstrated the use of a 5G network for drone detection for civil security operations in Arlington, Texas.

Russia’s escalating deployment of high-speed Geran drones is providing Ukrainian defenders and their industrial allies in the west with a strategic challenge. The race is now on to develop, scale and deploy these new defensive systems to Ukraine before the next iteration of the Geran makes them obsolete. In UTM news, France and Switzerland announce a new cooperation agreement, the Netherlands issues a tender for a drone flight planning tool, and the US FCC proposes spectrum changes for drone communications and detection.