Ukrainian experts launch security index to help Europe tackle rising drone threat
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Two expert organizations teamed up on Oct. 30 to unveil a new Drone Security Index (DSI), which will assess European countries' preparedness for drone attacks and inform them about measures they can take to improve their readiness.
The DSI, unveiled by New Age Defense, a European-Ukrainian defense tech alliance, and the Ukrainian think tank BRDO, "assesses national preparedness across four key areas: prevention, detection, response, and recovery," with each area given equal weighting.
Europe has been subjected to an increasing number of drone attacks, as Russia continues to probe for weaknesses in the continent's defense everywhere from Lithuania to Romania and Germany.
"From the beginning of 2022 to October 2026, 129 drone incidents have been recorded across 18 EU countries," says New Age Defense in a press release announcing the DSI.
Countries are then given a score out of 100, with scores above 87.5 considered high preparedness and scores below 50 considered totally unprepared.
"The index is not a rating or a competition between countries. It is a planning tool," said Taras Yemchura, the head of the Defense Policy Sector at BRDO.
Yemchura said that the index takes into account Ukraine's experience in repelling attacks, analyzing their consequences, and adapting countermeasures. It also incorporates NATO and EU frameworks on infrastructure resilience.
The two organizations will conduct pilot assessments in Germany and Poland in November. Germany was second only to Romania in the number of drone attacks experienced, says New Age Defense, with 23 confirmed attacks having taken place since 2022.
After this, the organizations hope to cover 16 other countries in 2027, including NATO Eastern Flank countries, Canada, and the U.K.
For Kateryna Mykhalko, head of New Age Defense, the index could also help bolster cooperation between Europe and Ukraine on drone warfare.
"The sooner Europe starts thinking in terms of modern warfare, the more productive our defense cooperation, the creation of joint ventures and arms exports will be," Mykhalko said.
"It is Ukraine, with its unique experience in the mass use of drones of various types in war, that can strengthen partners' readiness for new threats," she added.
The launch of the DSI comes the same day that European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis announced the opening of two drone technology hubs in Latvia and the Netherlands, and one day after the EU opened calls for funding for defense projects to support Ukraine.
