NATO launches counter-drone marketplace with 16 solutions from five companies, including Alta Ares, Axon and Northrop Grumman

TLDR

• NATO launched its counter-UAS marketplace on 5 November, letting Allies buy from a catalogue without further tender.¹
• NCIA selected 16 solutions from five companies under framework contracts valid for one and a half years.²
• Alta Ares says it won six of the 16 lots, its largest contract to date, Reuters reports.³

NATO launched its Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) marketplace on 5 November, part of Drone Edge, an initiative launched at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara in July.¹ Through the marketplace, Allies can procure solutions directly from the NATO catalogue without any further tender process.¹ The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), which manages the marketplace on NATO's behalf, competed and selected 16 solutions from five companies: Alta Ares, Axon Enterprise Inc., Northrop Grumman, OSL UK and Quantum Systems.¹²

NATO says the solutions were selected on experience gained through NATO, national innovation activities and exercises, that the selected capabilities have already been deployed in Allied countries and in Ukraine, and that they cover a mix of static, transportable and on-the-move systems.¹² NCIA says the awards were made against four reference scenarios: point protection of a specific high-value asset; area protection of up to 3km in diameter; border protection across a 20km segment; and convoy protection for a convoy of up to 300 metres travelling at up to 50km/h.²

The multi-award framework contracts are valid for one and a half years after signature, with a possibility of extension, and NATO says it intends to run regular competitions so newer technologies reach Allies.¹² NATO has also allocated €3.1 million to fund further testing by nations or NATO commands, and says the marketplace complements Allies' commitment under Drone Edge to invest more than US$40 billion in counter-drone capabilities over the next five years.¹²

Reuters reports that French startup Alta Ares said on 5 November it won six of the 16 lots, its largest contract to date, covering area defence and border protection, and that it was the only supplier selected for area-defence systems across fixed, deployable and mobile configurations.³ Reuters describes Alta Ares, founded in 2024, as a maker of hard-kill air defence systems that physically intercept drones, including Shahed-type long-range attack drones and loitering munitions, and says the company raised €50 million in June and aims to produce more than 1,000 interceptors a month by 2027.³ These are company statements relayed by Reuters; NATO's announcements do not give a split of lots by company.¹²³

Why it matters: NATO's marketplace lets Allies buy from 16 selected counter-UAS solutions without a further tender, under framework contracts valid for one and a half years, with €3.1 million allocated for further testing.¹²