Estonia Unveils New Drone Roadmap to Expand Counter-Drone Capabilities

The Estonian government has unveiled a new drone roadmap designed to expand counter-drone capabilities, ease testing regulations, and speed up the adoption of drones in both defense and the economy.

In late April, the government approved a bill expanding the authority of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF), police, and critical infrastructure operators to detect and counter suspicious drones in peacetime. Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform Party) said the bill would allow, for example, trained security teams to use shotguns or electronic countermeasures such as radio jammers under certain conditions and regulatory oversight.

Industry representatives say Estonia's regulatory environment still limits broader testing and deployment. DefSecIntel Solutions, which has tested systems during NATO exercises and already supplies equipment internationally, produces radar systems and uses interceptor drones developed in Estonia, Germany, and Latvia. The company also operates in Ukraine.

According to Getter Oper, the company's strategy and communications chief, such systems could bring down any stray drones entering Estonian airspace without the need for fighter jets. "Operationally, everything has worked," she said. "We can detect hostile drones and take them down in different ways." Oper added that Estonia already has the technical capability, but regulations limit real-world deployment and testing.

Another industry representative, Karmo Saar, sales chief at Kraftworks, pointed to similar restrictions in more advanced scenarios. "If you need to mount explosives on drones, it gets significantly more complicated," he said. "From what I'm seeing through our partner companies, this looks much easier to do in Latvia and Ukraine." Oper also noted that Estonia's testing ranges are heavily used, limiting available capacity.

The new roadmap, officials said, should close these gaps and speed up counter-drone development.