British soldiers are taking part in a military exercise in Finland just 70 kilometres from the Russian border, where they are testing a new generation of reconnaissance and attack drones designed to locate and destroy targets without exposing troops to enemy fire.
The training is part of Exercise Northern Star, which brings together around 4,500 military personnel from NATO countries, including the United Kingdom, Finland, France, Hungary and the United States. The activity is being conducted in partnership between the British Army’s 3rd Battalion The Rifles and the Kainuu Brigade, responsible for defending the eastern region of Finland.
“It is a strategically important location for NATO and gives us the chance to train and develop our tactics in challenging environments. The Finns take defence seriously and, by learning from each other, we can work better together. What we are looking to do is increase our lethality to kill the enemy farther away and faster,” said Lieutenant Colonel Tom Redon, Commanding Officer of the Rifles.
The main highlight of the exercise is the combined use of the Ghost and Bolt drones. The Ghost acts as a reconnaissance platform, identifying targets and transmitting information in real time. The Bolt is a loitering munition, also known as a suicide drone, which receives the target coordinates and destroys it upon impact.
According to British military personnel, the system allows soldiers to attack enemy positions at greater distances and with lower risk. The information collected by the drones is shared through the digital ATAK system, or Android Tactical Assault Kit, which provides maps, troop locations and battlefield images directly on the devices carried by soldiers.
“With Ghost and Bolt, you can make a decision faster and you can kill things farther away. What this does is increase our lethality, it also increases our survivability, because you do not have to be there to kill something, you can send a sensor forward, and that is really critical as we look to the future,” said Major Steve Watts, Exercise Conducting Officer of the Rifles.
The activity comes at a time of growing strategic importance for Finland within NATO. Since joining the alliance in 2023, the country has added more than 1,300 kilometres of direct border with Russia to NATO territory, making the region one of the most sensitive areas on the alliance’s northern flank.
Photo: British Army. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
