NATO and Ukraine have launched a €250,000 ($283,585) challenge to develop technologies capable of disabling enemy airfields.
The “Persistent Airfield Denial Innovation Challenge,” led by NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC), seeks systems capable of targeting aircraft, runways, fuel and ammunition depots, and ground support infrastructure, according to a Request for Innovative Participation (RFIP) published by NATO.
🚀The NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC) and NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) have announced the Persistent Airfield Denial Innovation Challenge to find a solution to block enemy airfields. (1/5) ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/8uKWWEI5pQ
— NATO in Ukraine (@NATOinUkraine) June 22, 2026
NATO said the challenge was launched as Ukraine struggles to counter Russian aircraft operating from airfields hundreds of kilometers behind the front lines.
“Enemy tactical aviation, operating from bases beyond the reach of conventional Ukrainian strike assets, continues to conduct strikes using guided aerial bombs, cruise missiles, and stand-off munitions against friendly forces, critical infrastructure, and civilian population centres,” NATO said.
The alliance said existing capabilities, including manned strike aircraft, long-range missile systems, and conventional loitering munitions, have shown limited effectiveness against heavily defended airfields because they lack the “mass-effect, persistence, and electronic warfare-resilience” needed to suppress multiple targets simultaneously.
“Each sortie originates from an airfield,” NATO wrote. “Every airfield is a node of vulnerability: if it can be persistently denied, the adversary’s air campaign is fundamentally disrupted at source.”
The competition is open to manufacturers, startups and engineering teams headquartered in NATO member countries or Ukraine.
According to the RFIP, submissions may include autonomous or operator-controlled systems such as unmanned aerial systems, loitering munitions or swarming technologies capable of conducting sustained strikes.
Proposed systems must be able to operate in signal-denied and electronic warfare-contested environments under all weather conditions.
NATO said preference will be given to solutions that can strike multiple targets, offer extended endurance, require minimal operator training and be deployed within months. Any solution requiring more than a year to be fielded will not be considered.
Submissions are due by July 20, with up to 10 finalists to be announced on Aug. 11. The finalists are expected to pitch their concepts in Warsaw, Poland, on Sept. 3, although NATO said the date and location have not been finalized.
According to the RFIP, up to three winners will share a total prize pool of $283,585 and could advance to further testing.
Proposals must be submitted through NATO’s online application portal: https://innovationhub-act.org/what-we-do/events/innovation-challenge/.
