Ukrainian drone tactics overwhelm British brigade in NATO drills
Illustrative photo: Ukrainian troops "destroyed" British brigade during NATO drills (facebook.com/MinistryofDefenceUA)
During the NATO military exercise Hedgehog 2025 in Estonia, one scenario ended with the simulated “destruction” of a battle group that included a British brigade. Ukrainian troops, playing the role of the opposing force, used drone-based tactics. More than 16,000 service members from 12 Allied nations took part in the drills. One scenario replicated a modern battlefield saturated with drones and reconnaissance systems, according to The Telegraph.
Read also: Ukraine's DELTA AI becomes a digital weapon, detecting Russian targets in 2 seconds
Under the exercise conditions, a battle group consisting of thousands of troops — including a British brigade and an Estonian division — was conditionally defeated by Ukrainian forces.
Participants said the opposing-force units quickly detected military equipment and troop positions and then simulated strikes using attack drones.
How Ukrainian forces operated
The Ukrainian team used the Delta battlefield management system, which enables real-time intelligence gathering, AI-based analysis, and coordinated strikes.
A small Ukrainian unit, acting as the enemy, launched a counterattack and within half a day simulated the destruction of 17 armored vehicles, carrying out around 30 strikes. Exercise leaders assessed that two battalions would have been unable to continue combat operations after that.
Lessons for NATO
Military experts concluded that drones have become a decisive factor in modern warfare and already determine battlefield outcomes. European allies are expanding drone production and adapting their armed forces to unmanned warfare.
Reports from the drills stressed that unmanned systems are now integral to ground operations and that armies must invest in the integrated use of drones alongside conventional equipment.
Use of DELTA
Last August, then–Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal signed an order to implement the DELTA combat system across all levels of Ukraine’s Defense Forces.
DELTA was also used during joint Ukraine-NATO exercises and integrated under NATO’s new STANAG 4817 standard.
Earlier, Shmyhal said the Ukrainian DELTA system became the key command platform for a multinational team during NATO’s REPMUS 2
