Rainer Kivimäe, head of the drone unit at the Metrosert Applied Research Center, writes in ERR that the Estonian drone community needs a unified coordinator and cooperation platform to promote the field and amplify the potential of existing players.
Kivimäe acknowledges that the drone sector needs both a strategy and research and development activities, as previously pointed out in an ERR opinion piece by Veiko Randlaine, head of the Remote Sensing Research and Development Center at the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences. However, he emphasizes that a vision document alone is not enough. Although Estonia has many competent and strong players in the drone sector (including Metrosert, the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, the Estonian Defense Forces, the Estonian Aviation Academy, and the private sector), these parties often operate separately, which unfortunately leads to competition for ideas, specialists, and money instead of cooperation.
Four main tasks of the cooperation platform
According to Kivimäe, in order to bring together the different parts of the field, it is necessary to create a secure framework that would help to reconcile the different but compatible interests of the parties. This would create a value chain that would grow the drone industry in Estonia many times faster than if it operated independently.
The four main tasks of the cooperation platform should be:
- Mapping demand across different administrative areas.
- Cross-value chain development to ensure that the needs of the main end users (the Defense Forces and internal security) are met even in crisis situations.
- Ensuring competence by providing training to the necessary specialists (engineers, developers, operators) and linking theory with practice.
- Supporting business development with test sites and laboratories (including Metrosert) to test product performance in real-life conditions and develop standardized testing methods.
In conclusion, Kivimäe believes that by acting in a unified and coordinated manner, it is possible to create a sustainable financing model and take Estonia’s drone sector to a new level.
Read Rainer Kivimäe’s opinion piece on ERR (October 2, 2025).