Dutch Army Prepares for Drone Warfare with Anti-Drone Tunnels as Ukraine War Lessons Reshape NATO Ground Mobility.

The Dutch Army trained for a battlefield where every movement could be tracked and targeted by drones as nearly 7,000 troops took part in Exercise Fighter Lion in northern Germany. According to reporting by Eindhovens Dagblad and information released by the Dutch Ministry of Defence on June 24, 2026, the exercise integrated Ukrainian-style anti-drone tunnels to help forces move, survive, and fight under constant aerial surveillance and electronic warfare pressure.

The net-covered corridors are designed to shield vehicles such as the Fennek, Boxer, and CV90 from drone detection and attack, reflecting lessons drawn directly from the war in Ukraine. Their use highlights a wider NATO shift toward movement-focused survivability, where concealment, electronic discipline, and protected mobility are becoming as critical to combat effectiveness as armor and firepower.

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The Dutch Army is testing Ukrainian-style anti-drone tunnels during Exercise Fighter Lion to protect troops and armored vehicles from drone surveillance, FPV attacks and electronic warfare threats (Picture Source: Eindhovens Dagblad / Dutch MoD)

On June 24, 2026, the Netherlands drew attention to a major change in land warfare training as nearly 7,000 Dutch troops conducted Exercise Fighter Lion in northern Germany. According to field reporting by Eindhovens Dagblad and information released by the Dutch Ministry of Defence, the exercise was not only the country’s largest army drill in two decades but also a test of how Dutch units could move, survive, and fight under permanent drone and electronic warfare pressure. The most significant tactical feature was the integration of Ukrainian-derived anti-drone tunnels, net-covered routes designed to protect vehicles and soldiers from kamikaze drones and constant aerial observation.

The anti-drone tunnels used during Fighter Lion reflect a direct lesson from Ukraine, where exposed roads, logistics routes and vehicle assembly areas have become vulnerable to FPV drones, loitering munitions and artillery directed by unmanned aerial systems. These structures are not tunnels in the traditional underground sense, but covered corridors made with netting, camouflage material and supporting frames. Their purpose is to reduce visual detection from above, complicate drone targeting, and give armored and support vehicles a better chance of moving between positions without being immediately observed or attacked. By constructing similar routes at the Bergen-Hohne training area, the Dutch Army is preparing its soldiers for a battlefield where movement itself has become a combat action.

For Dutch formations, the operational value of these anti-drone tunnels lies in how they support movement by vehicles such as the Fennek, Boxer and CV90. The Fennek reconnaissance vehicle, designed for observation, command support and operations in small units over long distances, is directly affected by the drone threat because reconnaissance elements depend on concealment and mobility. Its low profile and sensor suite make it useful for finding enemy positions, but the Ukrainian battlefield has shown that even reconnaissance vehicles can be detected quickly if they remain exposed on predictable routes. In this context, covered movement corridors allow Fennek teams to reposition, withdraw or pass information without presenting an easy target to simulated drone operators.

The Boxer armored vehicle plays a different but equally important role in this scenario. Used by the Dutch Army in command post, ambulance, engineer, cargo and training variants, the Boxer is central to the movement and sustainment of motorized units. Its modular configuration gives it flexibility, but its size and role in command, medical evacuation and engineering tasks also make it a valuable target. During an exercise shaped by drone and electronic warfare threats, moving Boxers through protected routes is not only a tactical drill but also a test of whether command, medical and engineering functions can continue under the same pressure experienced by front-line maneuver units. For the Dutch 13 Light Brigade, which relies heavily on wheeled mobility, the ability to protect these routes is directly linked to operational tempo.

The CV90 adds the heavier mechanized dimension to Fighter Lion. As the infantry fighting vehicle of the Dutch Army, armed with a 35 mm Bushmaster III cannon and designed to carry infantry into combat while also fighting directly, the CV90 represents the heavier combat power brought by 43 Mechanized Brigade. In the exercise scenario, 13 Light Brigade first works to stop and stabilize the enemy advance before 43 Mechanized Brigade takes over the fight with heavier forces. The use of anti-drone tunnels and constant drone pressure changes how this handover is understood. It is no longer only a question of moving armored formations through terrain, but of doing so while remaining concealed, maintaining communications, managing electronic signatures and avoiding the paralysis caused by persistent aerial surveillance.

The strategic implication is that the Netherlands is adapting its land forces to a battlefield model that has moved from Eastern Ukraine into the center of NATO planning. Bergen-Hohne, located in northern Germany, is not just a training ground in this case; it becomes a rehearsal space for the defense of European territory under conditions resembling a high-intensity conflict against a technologically adaptive adversary. Anti-drone tunnels in the middle of Europe send a clear military signal: NATO armies can no longer assume rear-area mobility, road movement or brigade-level handovers will take place beyond the reach of enemy sensors. The same drone threat that has reshaped trench lines, roads and logistics in Ukraine is now being built into Western European training architecture.

This approach shows how Ukraine has become a live laboratory for European defense adaptation. The Netherlands is not simply observing Ukrainian tactics from a distance; it is translating them into its own training cycle, force structure and equipment use. This is visible in the creation of drone and counter-drone teams inside combat units, the emphasis on electronic warfare, and the use of passive protection measures such as netted corridors. For NATO, the relevance is broader than the Dutch Army alone. If the alliance must defend its eastern flank, units moving from Western and Central Europe toward reinforcement areas would face surveillance drones, jamming, long-range fires and sabotage attempts. Fighter Lion tests a future European defense problem: how to move combat power across allied territory when the enemy can see, jam and strike deeper than before.

The anti-drone tunnel is not a standalone solution. It does not replace air defense, electronic warfare, camouflage discipline, deception or mobile counter-UAS systems. Its importance is that it forms part of a layered survival system. Passive protection can buy time, reduce exposure and preserve vehicles, while drone teams, electronic warfare operators and maneuver commanders work together to detect, jam, deceive or destroy enemy unmanned systems. The Dutch exercise suggests that future armored movement will require protected routes, dispersed staging areas, short halts, rapid recovery teams, and immediate adaptation after every contact with enemy drones. This represents a shift from platform-centered thinking to movement-centered survivability.

Fighter Lion also highlights a psychological dimension. Soldiers training under constant drone noise and simulated electronic interference are learning to operate in an environment where being observed is assumed rather than exceptional. This pressure affects command decisions, crew endurance and the tempo of operations. For crews in Fennek, Boxer and CV90 vehicles, the challenge is not only to reach the next position but to do so without creating an electromagnetic or visual signature that exposes the entire formation. The exercise turns the anti-drone tunnel into more than a protective structure; it becomes a training tool for behavior, discipline and battlefield awareness.

The central message of Fighter Lion is that the Dutch Army is preparing for a European battlefield where drones can shape every movement, from reconnaissance patrols to armored brigade handovers. By integrating Ukrainian-style anti-drone tunnels into a major exercise involving Fennek, Boxer and CV90 formations, the Netherlands is acknowledging that survivability now begins before the first shot is fired. The ability to move unseen, remain connected under jamming, and sustain combat power under drone pressure may become as decisive as armor thickness or firepower in any future high-intensity conflict on NATO territory.

Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.

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