When it comes to defence tech, Europe could learn lessons on speed from Ukraine

The war in Ukraine is "a bit like World War One and World War Three combined," according to James Appathurai, NATO’s deputy assistant secretary general for innovation, hybrid, and cyber. 

He said while everybody sees the heavy metal weapons and tanks being used in Ukraine, much like in the Great War, the key to the country’s defence is making tech commercially available and dual-use to fight war in the modern era. 

"That's allowing the Ukrainians to stand on their feet in a way that one might not have expected," he told Euronews Next, adding that this is a vital lesson for Europe as it seeks greater defence autonomy by weaning itself off American weapons. 

In a speech at the Royal Danish Military Academy on Tuesday, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said that European Union countries “will have to fully rely on European defence supply chains, especially in times of urgent need”.

Following her speech, the Commission published a so-called white paper on defence on Wednesday, which comes as part of a “ReArm Europe” plan laid out earlier this month that could see up to €800 billion poured into the continent’s defence sector over the next four years.

The consensus is that the EU will have to spend wisely on defence and timing is everything, a lesson that Ukraine has learned in three years of war.

Testing the technology in the field

"I think Europe has to invest a lot in general in defence, just because we see how the world is uncertain right now. [This is] What we realised in this war, and I think the type of war Europe may have to fight in the future will be quite the same as the Ukrainian war," Bohdan Sas, co-founder and chief commercial officer at Ukrainian drone company Buntar Aerospace, said.

Sas, who tests his company’s equipment on the battlefield, told Euronews Next that one of the biggest lessons European defence companies was to be able to see how their technology works in practice.

"The companies who never fought a war with their equipment, they're definitely outdated 100 per cent," Sas said.

"We see some Western companies, some European ones come to the Ukrainian battlefield and [at] first, their products are total crap".

Sas said that some of the tech can be "useless" but then companies go back to their labs and do more research and updates, and perhaps two years later their products have improved.

"But still, it takes a lot of time. I think time is really precious right now in politics, in the economy and in defence too. So if you can buy some time with money you better do it," he said. 

Another key lesson for Europe is that money has to be spent strategically. 

"If you have a stock of really good but really expensive equipment, it will be depleted regardless. So drones are our [Ukraine’s] way to answer [a] big opponent," Sas said.

While there is a misconception that there are only cheap drones being made in Ukraine, he said it is important to assess the right balance between cost and capacity. 

One example he points to is using cheaper drones in a first attack and then using more expensive weapons in a second attack. 

Speed is vital for innovation

NATO’s Appathurai also agrees that speed is of the essence when it comes to defence tech.

"There is a very, very rapid innovation cycle of two to six weeks, which means two to six weeks for the Ukrainians to come up with an innovation, to use it and to have it neutralised by the Russians, who are also learning at the same speed," he said. 

The long procurement process also slows things down, he said, referring to NATO’s acquisition of F-35s or Euro Fighters. 

He explained that they must be in perfect condition and be able to work in all conditions, which means that it can take ages to receive them and by the time they arrive, the technology part is outdated.   

"Almost any innovative technology you acquire would have long been obsolete before you get it. So for me, the biggest nut to crack is rapid acquisition, rapid procurement," Appathurai said.

NATO is working to put a rapid adoption plan in place for its allies at the NATO summit in June, he added. 

"We need to move much, much faster, meaning we need to be able to adopt more quickly and understand that it's not just platforms, it's effects," he said.

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