AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS MOVING FASTER THAN EVER
Anyone observing today’s European security landscape sees a world that is shifting faster than traditional systems can adapt. Threats evolve, technology cycles accelerate, and decision-making at the tactical edge increasingly depends on real-time intelligence. In this reality, close cooperation between Defence and industry is no longer an ambition, it is an operational necessity. The partnership between Height Technologies, the 43rd Mechanized Brigade, and its dedicated 45 UAS Platoon is a living example of what this new model looks like and why it is so strategically significant for the Netherlands and Europe.
INNOVATION THAT STARTS IN THE FIELD
This story does not begin in a meeting room or on a drawing board. It starts in the field, on Dutch training grounds and during joint exercises, where conditions are unpredictable and realism is non-negotiable. It is there that our UAS platforms are not just evaluated as prototypes but used as real operational assets by the soldiers of the 43rd Mechanized Brigade. Their experiences, insights and critical observations form the heartbeat of our development cycle. In particular, the 45 UAS Platoon, with its deep technical understanding and mission-driven perspective, plays a key role in translating real operational needs into actionable guidance for our engineering teams.
A DIRECT AND ACCELERATED FEEDBACK LOOP
What makes this collaboration so powerful is the direct feedback loop. Operators from the Brigade and the 45 UAS Platoon see immediately what works, what must adapt, and what becomes essential in specific tactical environments. That feedback does not travel through months of documentation or rigid procurement phases, it comes to us the same day and sometimes the same hour. Engineers, software developers and system designers at Height Technologies implement that feedback almost instantly. This creates a cycle of testing, refining and validating that runs continuously, not annually.
The result is a development pace far beyond traditional defence timelines. Instead of multi-year evolutions, we see substantial improvements within weeks. In an era where adversaries change tactics overnight and where lessons from Ukraine show how fast new capabilities must be integrated, this accelerated cycle is not a luxury, it is a requirement. The 43rd Mechanized Brigade understands this urgency deeply, and the 45 UAS Platoon, with its daily operational engagement, ensures that doctrine and technology evolve together rather than in parallel.
Beyond speed, the partnership unlocks something even more valuable: practical innovation. Because systems are tested directly in realistic conditions, improvements are grounded in operational truth, not theoretical assumptions. Whether our UAS platforms are supporting force protection tasks, providing ISR coverage during complex terrain operations, or helping commanders build rapid situational awareness, the impact is tangible and immediate.
REAL CAPABILITIES, REAL USE CASES
A commander who receives a real-time video feed from a Martlet Operator during a manoeuvre.
A perimeter security team is detecting anomalies around a forward operating location.
A training scenario enriched by rapid damage assessment from a free-flight drone.
These are not hypothetical examples, they are lived experiences from joint sessions with the 43rd Mechanized Brigade and the 45 UAS Platoon. Each field day reinforces the same message: combining Defence expertise with agile industrial development leads to capabilities that matter today, and tomorrow.
A SOVEREIGN AND SCALABLE EUROPEAN CAPABILITY
But the importance of this collaboration extends far beyond individual improvements. It lays the foundation for a uniquely Dutch and European model of scalable UAS capability. With Height Technologies designing, engineering and assembling platforms entirely within the Netherlands, the Armed Forces gain access to systems that are sovereign, secure and adaptable. In a time when critical technology dependence is under global scrutiny, this sovereignty is a strategic asset.
The partnership is not a static arrangement; it is a flywheel that accelerates with every iteration. Each training session enriches the knowledge base of the 45 UAS Platoon. Their operational insights flow directly back into our development pipeline, allowing us to strengthen airframes, refine software behaviour, enhance autonomy and improve sensor performance based on concrete field observations. Meanwhile, the 43rd Mechanized Brigade integrates these evolving capabilities into its broader operational concepts, ensuring that UAS systems become fully embedded in manoeuvre tactics, reconnaissance flows and force protection structures.
THE MODEL EUROPE NEEDS
This joint approach demonstrates a methodology that Europe urgently needs: one where military units and industry no longer operate in separate domains but form a shared innovation ecosystem. Across the continent, nations are searching for ways to boost strategic autonomy in key technologies such as ISR drones, secure data links and autonomous systems. The cooperation between Height Technologies, the 43rd Mechanized Brigade and the 45 UAS Platoon shows what such an ecosystem can look like: agile, operationally grounded and technologically sovereign.
The field applications of our platforms illustrate just how diverse and strategically relevant UAS capabilities have become. From supporting complex urban operations where visibility is limited, to giving commanders real-time situational awareness during manoeuvres, to safeguarding critical infrastructures, drones are now an integral part of the modern operational toolkit. What once required multiple systems and layers is increasingly consolidated into compact, reliable and rapidly deployable platforms. Working closely with Defence ensures that these platforms are resilient, intuitive and ready for the pressures of real operations.
This brings us to the core principle that guides the collaboration: stronger together. The Dutch Armed Forces are operating in a geopolitical environment that demands more agility, more resilience and more innovation than ever before. Industry alone cannot develop relevant systems without direct field input. Defence alone cannot maintain the pace of innovation without industrial agility. The only viable path forward is a shared approach, one where knowledge, capability and responsibility are aligned.
Height Technologies and the 43rd Mechanized Brigade exemplify this shared responsibility. Their cooperation sends a clear signal: when operational experience, technological expertise and national urgency come together, the result is not incremental progress; it is strategic acceleration. This is not only crucial for the Netherlands; it matters for Europe as a whole, at a time when collective defence capacity must evolve faster than external threats.
We are entering a period that demands all hands on deck. A period where decisions must be made rapidly, where innovation must be constant and where the boundary between military and industrial domains must remain flexible and open. By working side-by-side with Defence, and specifically with the dedicated operators of the 43rd Mechanized Brigade and the expertise of the 45 UAS Platoon, we are building more than technology. We are strengthening operational readiness. We are reinforcing European resilience. And we are ensuring that tomorrow’s UAS capabilities are shaped by those who depend on them most.
This collaboration stands for real, measurable progress; in the field, in the workshop and across the broader defence ecosystem. It is a partnership defined not by symbolic intentions but by shared results. And ultimately, it reinforces a future in which the Netherlands and Europe can rely on sovereign, reliable and advanced aerial capabilities built through cooperation, trust and a unified vision for security.
