On Thursday, March 5, exercise Digital Shield 2.0 was conducted in Rutja, Estonia, during which units of the Estonian Defence Forces, the United States Army, and other allied forces practiced repelling unmanned aerial vehicles. During the exercise, Estonian and Allied sensors and command centres were linked to a real-time unified data network in order to identify threats more quickly and respond to them in a coordinated manner.
“During the exercise, we tested a concept for ensuring effective protection against the threat of unmanned aerial vehicles using centralised command and control software, which can be used to control interceptor drones and missiles,” said Major Tõnis Pärn, commander of the Air Surveillance Wing of the Estonian Air Force. “The goal is to integrate all counter-drone defence systems arriving in the near future into a single, centrally controlled system.”
An important element of the exercise was testing high-tech solutions developed by the Estonian and international defence industries that are compatible with the capabilities of Allies, primarily the United States, but also the Estonian Defence Forces. During the exercise, data collected by sensors was gathered at command centres, from where it was forwarded to units operating weapon systems CV90 and Piorun for the destruction of targets. The Alta Ares, TYTAN, and Origin Blaze interceptor drones and the IonStrike missile system were also tested as new solutions.
When countering threats coming from the air, speed and interoperability between different systems, and reliable data exchange are crucial for ensuring the timely detection, identification, and destruction of hostile unmanned aerial vehicles. The exercise provided an opportunity to practice potential threat scenarios in conditions that were as realistic as possible. The data exchange environment that was tested is similar to the Delta system used in Ukraine.
“Digital Shield 2.0 showcases the strength of Allied innovation and cooperation, ensuring our forces can detect, decide, and act faster than any adversary,” said Brigadier General Curtis W. King, Commanding General of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, U.S. Army Europe. “By rigorously testing these capabilities in real-world scenarios, we are reinforcing defence and deterrence along Europe’s eastern flank with unmatched speed, security, and resilience.”
Consolidating data collected by different sensors improves situational awareness of units. Sharing surveillance data between Allies improves target detection, speeds up decision-making, and enables coordinated responses, which in turn increases the readiness of units and strengthens defence.
Last November, exercise Digital Shield 1.0 held in Estonia practiced the rapid integration of sensors and control chains into a dispersed network capable of ensuring data flow even in the event of communication disruptions. This year’s exercise Digital Shield 2.0 relied on previous tests, involving the armed forces of all three Baltic states and the sharing of information between them, new systems, and live-fire exercises with various weapon systems near Rutja.
