The 10th anniversary edition of Dronedge, the flagship conference of the Alliance for the Unmanned Aerial Industry (UAVA), took place on October 1–2, 2025 in the historic Fantova building at Prague’s Main Railway Station. This year’s jubilee event was once again held under the auspices of Minister of Transport Martin Kupka, and for the first time also under the auspices of President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel — a clear signal that unmanned systems and their integration into airspace are becoming a true national priority.
The program featured over 50 speakers, more than 20 exhibitors, and exclusive guests, including Stéphane Vaubourg, U-space project manager at EASA, who attended in person. Alongside panels and keynotes, participants could enjoy dedicated networking sessions and even an evening raffle.
The morning block of Day 2 brought together practical applications, battlefield lessons, and defense technologies — showing that drones are no longer experimental novelties but essential tools across medicine, logistics, and security.
In the public sector, Plzeň’s SITMP project demonstrated how drones can deliver AEDs, epipens, or other critical supplies to “red zones” where response times are too long. These drones are also designed for long-term interventions, carrying up to 30 kilograms of firefighting gear, hoses, or drinking water to hard-to-reach sites. Public health boxes for remote areas, equipped with life-saving devices and supplied by drones, are part of the concept. A dedicated dispatch center, GIS data integration, and testing of a modified DJI Flycart 30 with lights and speakers all point to readiness for U-space integration. Collaborations with LOM PRAHA and Dronetag underline the ecosystem approach.
The security-focused block of Dronedge 2025 drew strong attention to RETIA’s ReGUARD radar, which has become one of the Czech industry’s flagship contributions to counter-UAS technology. ReGUARD is an X-band, 3D AESA monopulse radar designed specifically for detecting, tracking, and classifying drones. Unlike general-purpose radars, it is optimized for the unique challenges of small UAVs — objects that are fast, low-flying, and difficult to distinguish from birds or ground clutter.
During the presentation, RETIA engineers emphasized that the system can detect and classify drones at ranges of up to 8–10 kilometers under optimal conditions. The radar integrates pulse-Doppler processing, GNSS/INS navigation support, and passive cooling, enabling long-term autonomous deployment directly in the field. Tests confirmed that the system can operate continuously for three to four days without direct human intervention, a key advantage for military units operating in remote or hostile environments.
One of the breakthroughs presented was the radar’s ability to “lock” onto a specific drone. In earlier generations, the radar antenna oscillated rapidly, trying to track multiple targets at once. Now, operators can designate a UAV of interest on the control interface, and ReGUARD mechanically adjusts its antenna head to focus and follow that target in real time. This capability dramatically improves situational awareness and shortens reaction times in live defense scenarios.
The radar’s AI-based classification system was another highlight: by analyzing radar signatures and movement patterns, it can tell the difference between a bird and a drone. Detection screens used during the demonstration showed red markers for positively classified drones and yellow for unclassified aerial objects, offering operators an immediate, intuitive picture of the airspace situation.
Perhaps the most convincing validation came during NATO’s Baltic Trust 2025 exercise in Latvia, where ReGUARD was deployed alongside allied systems. Here, it demonstrated true “plug & play” interoperability, integrating smoothly into C2 structures via the SAPIENT protocol. Not only did it function as a stand-alone sensor, but it could also receive commands and tasking directly from command posts, showing that it is ready for real-world coalition operations.
RETIA also presented a series of flight test scenarios, including tracking small DJI Mavic 3 drones flying circular patterns at ranges of 5–6 kilometers and altitudes of 120 meters. These tests highlighted both detection accuracy and adaptability to different mission profiles. Case studies further demonstrated the radar’s role in critical infrastructure protection, portable VSHORAD deployments, and as an early-warning C-UAS sensor.
All of this confirmed that ReGUARD is not just a prototype, but a mature, field-validated technology. It represents a significant Czech contribution to the rapidly evolving landscape of drone defense — where detection, tracking, and rapid response are no longer optional, but essential for both national security and allied defense.
From Ukraine, Šimon Leviček of the Czech Ministry of Defense shared some of the most compelling insights of the conference — firsthand lessons from the war, where drones have become not just tools but one of the defining elements of the battlefield.
Ukraine has built a unique UAS ecosystem that is evolving at unprecedented speed. What began as a fragmented landscape of small companies and state entities has now consolidated under the Ministry of Defense, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Brave1 innovation cluster, and procurement agencies. The Ministry of Interior also plays a critical role, integrating drones into the work of the National Guard and national police units, while Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) uses UAVs for some of the most specialized and sensitive operations.
The result is a defense-industrial environment where hundreds of new drone companies have emerged in just the past two years. Many are private, agile startups spread across different Ukrainian cities, delivering tailored solutions directly to frontline units. Instead of long procurement cycles, soldiers at the front can simply call a developer via WhatsApp to request modifications — and receive a redesigned FPV drone within days. This direct, almost improvised pipeline between industry and users is something Western defense industries are now studying closely.
Leviček stressed that innovation is not limited to drones themselves, but also to counter-drone measures. Ukrainian engineers are experimenting with jammers, nets, even rotating wires or moving barriers to physically intercept UAVs. Offensive uses are equally inventive: drones that deploy mines, deliver improvised charges, or act as “flying shotguns.” In 2024, Ukraine even carried out the world’s first known multi-domain unmanned operation, combining ground robots, naval drones, and aerial UAVs in one coordinated strike.
Yet the challenges are immense. Russia has turned Iranian-designed Shahed/Geran drones into weapons of mass saturation, sometimes launching up to 1,000 drones in a single night. While Ukrainian air defenses can intercept many of them, the cost per interception is dangerously high. That is why Kyiv is pushing its allies to develop affordable interceptors — drones that can take down drones. The situation is even more concerning with the emergence of jet-powered Shahed variants, against which no effective countermeasure currently exists.
Ukraine’s strategy also includes long-range drone strikes on strategic Russian assets, particularly oil refineries that produce diesel — vital for Moscow’s war machine. New drone models such as Flamingo are already being tested with the aim of crippling a sector that could cut up to 10% of Russia’s budget revenue.
Another striking trend is the “gamification” of warfare. Soldiers earn credits for successful drone kills, which they can then exchange for new UAVs or equipment. This arcade-like reward system may seem surreal, but it has proven effective in sustaining morale and accelerating innovation on the battlefield.
Leviček concluded that Ukraine is not only defending itself but also pushing the entire Western world to adapt faster. “What we see in Ukraine today is not an exception — it is the future of warfare. Europe must be ready.”
Day 2 morning at Dronedge 2025 confirmed one thing: drones now connect civil protection, security, and defense into one shared reality. From delivering a defibrillator to a remote village, through radars distinguishing a bird from a UAV, to industrial-scale drone battles over Ukraine — unmanned systems have become a critical component of modern infrastructure and defense. And the Czech Republic is positioning itself not as a bystander, but as an active shaper of this future.
By: Katerina Urbanova, EIC ACE
