NATO drone technology tests during the Summit in Latvia. (Latvian Ministry of Defence)
NATO to trial ‘Innovation Badges’ this year
The badges aim to benchmark technology against defined operational use cases, giving buyers greater confidence in what they procure.
29 MAY 2026
By
Olivia
Savage
Editor in Chief, DSEI Gateway
NATO will trial its new ‘Innovation Badges’ in September as part of wider efforts to accelerate technology adoption across the alliance, a senior NATO official told DSEI Gateway and other media.
Speaking at the International Drone Summit in Riga, Latvia, on 26 May, the official said the badges will act as a mark of quality, following strict evaluations at NATO’s Innovation Ranges.
3D Defense technology on display at the International Drone Summit 2026. (DSEI Gateway)
Defining the parameters
Discussions are under way to define the parameters of a “commonly agreed evaluation procedure”, ensuring each company’s technology is “tested and evaluated under the same conditions”, the official said.
“The idea is not to say these systems are better than one another, but which system supports the best use case. This is especially important for counter-UAS as there is no one solution to fulfil all the different use cases.”
The badges were launched as part of NATO’s Rapid Adoption Action Plan, which aims to accelerate technology adoption and shift procurement culture across member states.
Making headway
NATO is already making headway on developing a methodology for counter-drone badges specifically. The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation, otherwise known as CENELEC, has developed a standardised testing methodology for counter-drone systems, which NATO is now applying in a military context to inform its own evaluation framework, the official said.
CENELEC’s framework establishes standardised use cases, enabling like-for-like comparisons across different counter-drone solutions.
By benchmarking against defined use cases, potential buyers should gain clearer insight into how mature a given technology is, and whether it fits their operational requirements. However, because technology evolves rapidly, any badge awarded risks become quickly outdated.
The maintenance of the badge, the official said, is being discussed currently.
Olivia
Savage
Editor in Chief, DSEI Gateway
Olivia Savage is the Editor in Chief of Clarion Defence & Security, organisers of DSEI and other defence events. Previously, she was a Senior Defence Journalist at Janes, specialising in electronic warfare, uncrewed systems, and space.