NATO NCIA-Certified SAPIENT Interoperability at TIE26

Marknesse, 22 June 2026 – The NATO Technical Interoperability Exercise 2026 (TIE26) in Marknesse, the Netherlands, brings together companies from across the Counter-UAS ecosystem to validate the interoperability of sensors, effectors, and command-and-control systems.

The exercise focuses on interoperability across the full Counter-UAS kill chain – from detect to defeat. A particular focus of the validation is the SAPIENT standard (STANREC 4868), which is emerging as a key interoperability standard in the Counter-UAS domain and is currently being evaluated as a potential NATO standard.

At TIE26, Project Q successfully validated the interoperability of Hydris, its open-core integration and orchestration layer for connecting sensors, effectors, and C2 systems. Hydris leverages open and standards-based interfaces to integrate and orchestrate heterogeneous systems across multinational and multi-vendor environments, enabling true Plug-and-Fight interoperability.

Validating Plug-and-Fight Interoperability

TIE26 provided a test environment with different drone types, flight profiles, and dozens of test systems from different manufacturers. These dynamic scenarios created varying requirements for detection, tracking, tasking, and overall interoperability.

During the exercise, Hydris successfully passed all SAPIENT interoperability tests. It interoperated with 17 C2 systems (Fusion Nodes) and 12 sensor and effector systems (Edge Nodes) from different manufacturers across NATO nations. The results were certified during the exercise by NATO NCIA.

From Standards Compliance to Operational Interoperability

The exercise demonstrated that technical standards are essential, but not sufficient on their own. Formal standard documentation provides a common framework, but real interoperability depends on how standards are actually implemented and practiced within the active community. This requires regular testing with partners and active participation in the community.

TIE26 also showed that technological development often moves faster than standardization. While standards provide the foundation for interoperability, innovative and specialized capabilities may require extended data requirements and flexible interfaces. Hydris is built with open and extensible interfaces, allowing new capabilities to be integrated while maintaining compatibility with existing standards.