Commercial 5G for Battlefield Sensing
The military is looking at leveraging commercial 5G communications to enhance battlefield sensing. We have two examples of the reuse of existing communications infrastructure for drone detection. In Latvia, NATO recently tested an AI-agent-assisted counter-drone engagement system that made use of existing 5G masts. Meanwhile, in the U.S., AT&T and Ericsson demoed drone detection using advanced network sensing over a 5G network near a large sporting venue.
Drones and drone-defense capabilities are vital in current armed conflicts and are being taken very seriously worldwide. Rapid developments have emerged in Russia, Ukraine, and the Middle East. Leveraging extensive cellular networks for drone sensing provides a clear win, though 5G masts could potentially become more attractive targets.
NATO Exercises in Latvia
In Latvia, NATO ran a Digital Backbone Experimentation exercise known as DiBaX 2026. Between October 19 and 30, the organization investigated whether 5G towers could passively detect and track flying objects such as drones. Successful trials could give existing large-scale telecommunications networks a secondary purpose in national security while increasing network resilience.
The NATO-tested solution was designed using AI agents. Admiral Pierre Vandier, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, noted that artificial intelligence helped overcome interoperability barriers between systems that were never originally designed to communicate with each other.
Three methods of utilizing commercial 5G were tested in the Baltic country during exercises conducted alongside the United States, Canada, Germany, Finland, Lithuania, and other allies.
U.S. Trials and 6G Integration
In the U.S., AT&T and Ericsson demonstrated drone detection over 5G outside of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, previewing early 6G technology that combines communications and sensing. The system was capable of detecting, locating, and tracking multiple drones flying at altitudes between 300 and 400 feet.
The sporting venue was selected because such locations can be vulnerable to security threats. This sensing technology can support low-altitude threat detection and tracking around major venues and complex environments.
With promising results from both experiments, leveraging commercial masts for 5G and 6G drone sensing networks presents a potentially useful defense application requiring minimal extra infrastructure investment.
