Counter-UAS as a Structural Layer of Integrated Air and Missile Defence
Addressing the Low-Altitude Saturation Gap in NATO and EU Air Defence Architectures
Counter-UAS capability is no longer a peripheral force-protection function but a structural requirement within integrated air and missile defence. The operational failure it addresses is the persistence of an unmanaged low-altitude airspace in which large numbers of small, low-signature unmanned systems can operate with relative freedom, eroding surveillance, cueing fires, and degrading command-and-control resilience. As NATO and the European Union adapt their air defence postures to saturation tactics, hybrid pressure, and contested electromagnetic environments, counter-UAS must be integrated as a layered, networked component of the broader IAMD construct. This analysis examines the performance thresholds, architectural dependencies, industrial bottlenecks, and policy drivers that determine whether Europe can transform counter-UAS from fragmented local solutions into a scalable, resilient element of alliance air defence between 2025 and 2035.