Denmark invests in drone warfare as Russian threat looms over Baltics

By AFP and Global Watch | 2025-04-24

As Russia's war in Ukraine drags on and tensions mount across the Baltic region, Denmark is stepping up its national defense by opening a new military drone testing center aimed at developing cutting-edge technology.

The center will be situated at Hans Christian Andersen Airport in Odense, already home to one of Europe's largest airspaces dedicated to drone testing. The UAS Denmark Test Center spans almost 2,000 sq. km of land and sea.

"The Danish drone industry and also the academic environment around drones [are] quite unique for the size of a country like Denmark," Andreas Graae, a military technology researcher and assistant professor at the Royal Danish Defense College, told AFP in April.

Announced in late March by Denmark's Ministry of Defense, the military drone testing hub will receive 725 million DKK ($110 million) in funding. The initiative draws directly on battlefield lessons from Ukraine and aims to make Denmark more resilient to potential aggression.

By 2026, about 100 Danish military personnel are expected to be training there as drone operators. The site will support collaboration among the military, private companies and academic researchers to keep Denmark on the technological frontier.

Pinpointing enemy radar

For researchers like Jerome Jouffroy, a professor of mechanical and electrical engineering at the University of Southern Denmark, the center will offer a chance to tailor projects to real-world military needs.

"Sometimes we can be in a bit of a fishbowl," he told AFP. "We try to invent solutions, but are these really what's going to be most interesting in the combat of the future?"

With the new center, "I'll get some tactical knowledge: How are drones used? What are actually the best technologies we can develop for operations?"

Just outside the Quadsat company in Odense, drones equipped with satellite-reading software buzzed loudly in the wind during recent testing runs. The Danish startup, founded a decade ago, manufactures drones that monitor and manage the radio spectrum. In military settings -- including in Ukraine -- the drones can help pinpoint the location and movement of enemy radar systems.

"What our technology can do is to go out and pinpoint where these emissions are coming from and how they are moving about, and it gives a new layer of intelligence on the battlefield," Joakim Espeland, Quadsat's CEO and co-founder, told AFP.

The war in Ukraine has become a proving ground for drones and has helped fuel rapid growth in the industry.

'Very critical period'

"Almost 70% of the losses in Ukraine are due to drones," said Graae. "In the Danish defense industry ... we're seeing growth especially in software companies but also robotics and drone companies."

The military drone hub will help ensure European technological competitiveness at a critical moment, said Jouffroy.

Growing Russian aggression is forcing a wider military buildup, Danish officials have made clear.

"Europe has to do much more in order to defend ourselves but also in order to support Ukraine. Because we are in a very, very critical period in world history," Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told AFP in Copenhagen on February 19.

His comments came just hours after Copenhagen announced an increase in defense spending by 50 billion DKK ($7 billion) over the next two years in response to what he called an "increasing threat from Russia." That boost would bring Denmark's defense spending to 3% of GDP.

Since Russia's invasion in 2022, Denmark has provided Ukraine with about $7.5 billion in military support and roughly $741 million in civilian aid, according to the Foreign Ministry -- making it one of Kyiv's largest backers per capita.

"We have been with Ukraine from the very first day because we have realized that this is not just about Ukraine. It's basically about the security architecture in Europe," Lokke said.

Russia could threaten neighboring countries, including NATO allies, within a few years if Ukraine falters, he warned. A recent Danish intelligence report echoed that view, predicting that Russia could be ready for a large-scale war in Europe within five years if the conflict in Ukraine ends or becomes frozen.