Eastern European Firms Win NATO Interest In Airfield Denial Challenge

Teams from Czechia, Poland and Ukraine won NATO’s Persistent Airfield Denial Innovation Challenge after nine finalists presented in Warsaw. LPP Holding placed first with an autonomous long-range strike system for GPS-denied environments, while Poland’s Supercluster placed second with the balloon-launched StratoAIM glider concept. An unnamed Ukrainian company placed third with artificial intelligence for resilient navigation and target recognition. Selection opens a path to funding, experimentation and operationally relevant testing through NATO and its joint center with Ukraine, but it does not constitute fielding or a procurement contract.