Dutch Unmanned Valley to test laser comms as anti-jam option for drones

Key facts

• Unmanned Valley near The Hague will expand unmanned-systems R&D and testing capacity.
• The expansion is backed by a €799,851.19 ERDF grant via the Kansen voor West III programme.
• Planned investments cover laser-based drone communications, counter-UAS testing facilities, and safety/security applications.

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Unmanned Valley, the Dutch drone innovation campus near The Hague, plans to expand its research and testing capabilities for unmanned systems using a €799,851.19 grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) via the Kansen voor West III programme. The campus intends to invest in three broad lines of effort: laser-based drone communications, counter-UAS testing facilities, and new safety and security applications.

For European defence and internal security users, the most consequential element is the focus on laser-based communications for drones. While the source does not specify architectures or performance targets, the underlying operational rationale is clear: optical links are typically positioned as a way to reduce exposure to conventional RF jamming and interference, a vulnerability that has become a defining constraint on unmanned operations in high-threat environments. If Unmanned Valley can provide credible test data on link robustness, alignment stability, and operational usability, it could feed directly into European requirements for resilient C2 and ISR data transport, including for operations around critical infrastructure and within congested spectrum environments.

The planned counter-UAS testing facilities are also strategically relevant for Europe. Independent, instrumented test ranges and evaluation centres are increasingly necessary to validate detection, tracking, and defeat chains under representative conditions and to de-risk procurement decisions. A Dutch-based facility could contribute to regional capacity for vendor-neutral trials and interoperability assessment, particularly as European governments seek scalable counter-drone solutions while balancing safety, legal constraints, and airspace integration.

Overall, the announcement indicates incremental but purposeful European investment in both resilience (harder-to-disrupt links) and protection (counter-UAS testing). However, the source text does not provide timelines, partner names, specific technologies, or test methodologies; those details will determine whether the initiative becomes a nationally useful capability or a broader European reference site for contested-environment unmanned operations.

Source: DroneWatch.eu