The project aims to bolster the military’s tactical ISR capabilities.

The Netherlands is seeking hundreds of new small drones to bolster its surveillance capabilities.

Announced on the EU tendering website on 14 March, the competition seeks 514 small uncrewed aircraft systems (UASs) for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) purposes to act as a “flying binocular”, the tender document states.

The project, known as the ‘Group Unmanned Aircraft System Isr DronE’ or GUIDE in Dutch, requires the systems to be no more than 0.3m in length and 0.15m in height, enabling the platforms to be carried under the top flap of a typical rucksack.

In addition, the platforms must be capable of flying for least 25 minutes and operate in wind speeds of at least 10 m/s. An additional 1,028 UAS might be acquired in the future, with procurement divided between 2026 and 2027 equally. 

Interested parties are required to submit their interest to participate no later than 12 April.

Although the value of the contract was not disclosed, interested parties can receive additional information from the Netherlands Materiel and IT Command (COMMIT), the contracting authority in the project. COMMIT oversees all defence procurement for the Netherlands military.

This competition follows the acquisition of an undisclosed number of Teledyne FLIR Black Hornet nano UAS for the military in 2022.