{"id":2598,"date":"2026-03-22T15:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T20:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techy44.okdiario.com\/en\/?p=2598"},"modified":"2026-03-22T06:33:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T11:33:13","slug":"drones-have-changed-warfare-in-the-arctic-to-such-an-extent-that-norways-elite-soldiers-are-once-again-digging-caves-in-the-snow-by-hand-to-disappear-beneath-the-ice-before-they-can-be-spotte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/drones-have-changed-warfare-in-the-arctic-to-such-an-extent-that-norways-elite-soldiers-are-once-again-digging-caves-in-the-snow-by-hand-to-disappear-beneath-the-ice-before-they-can-be-spotte\/2598\/","title":{"rendered":"Drones have changed warfare in the Arctic to such an extent that Norway\u2019s elite soldiers are once again digging caves in the snow by hand to disappear beneath the ice before they can be spotted from the sky"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In Norway\u2019s largest military exercise of 2026, one of the smartest answers to modern drone warfare looks almost prehistoric. Elite reconnaissance troops are still digging quinzhees, hand-built snow caves about 1.5 meters high and 2 meters wide, to stay hidden from aerial sensors during Cold Response 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exercise runs from March 9 to March 19 and brings together 32,500 participants from 14 countries across Norway and Finland. Anyone who has seen fresh footprints linger after a snowfall knows how unforgiving snow can be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-a00da4e5\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-46613eed\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-a8390598 post-3595 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-business resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-24a51617\">Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/texas-is-full-of-oil-wells-that-barely-produce-but-never-seem-to-die-and-landowners-say-the-real-cost-is-leaking-onto-their-property\/3595\/\">Texas is full of oil wells that barely produce but never seem to die, and landowners say the real cost is leaking onto their property<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Arctic, that same surface can expose a soldier just as quickly as it can protect one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why the Arctic is becoming a drone warfare testing ground<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Why are these exercises important? Because <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/us-scrambles-fighter-jets-near-alaska-as-security-pressure-grows-over-a-fast-changing-arctic\/2079\/\">the Arctic<\/a> is turning into a testing ground for the same drone-heavy battlefield logic already seen in Ukraine. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2026\/03\/16\/norways-elite-arctic-soldiers-still-dig-their-own-snow-caves-to-hide-from-drones\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Defense News reported<\/a> that Royal Marines training alongside Norwegian troops said units often need to move every 15 minutes to avoid detection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Norwegian forces are also experimenting with winterized surveillance drones, including Skydio and first-person view systems, while Army chief Maj. Gen. Lars Lervik said the broader exercise is also testing attack drones and unmanned ground robots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That pressure is reshaping the <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/according-to-rheinmetall-europe-would-only-have-enough-fuel-for-three-months-of-war-so-it-is-promoting-a-plan-for-energy-islands-that-use-green-hydrogen-and-synthetic-fuels-while\/1992\/\">defense business<\/a>, too. Saab says its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saab.com\/products\/mcs-mobile-camouflage-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Barracuda Mobile<\/a> Camouflage System is built to reduce detection across multiple sensors and lower vehicle heat, and the company has moved final assembly of some Barracuda kits for British Army Ajax vehicles to the United Kingdom as demand grows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-2e1186b9\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-ee739b1d\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-c96dbf00 post-2570 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-business resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-32e6e2ca\">Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/thailand-discovered-284-tons-of-u-s-electronic-waste-hidden-behind-false-labels-and-is-now-returning-the-toxic-shipment-across-the-pacific-under-international-law\/2570\/\">Thailand discovered 284 tons of U.S. electronic waste hidden behind false labels and is now returning the toxic shipment across the Pacific under international law<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In practical terms, camouflage is no longer just fabric and paint. It is increasingly sold as &#8220;signature management,&#8221; a high-tech way of reducing what enemies can see, track, and target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1013\" src=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/norwegian-soldiers-snow-cave-drone-warfare-concealment-1.jpg\" alt=\"Norwegian elite reconnaissance soldiers digging a quinzhee snow cave for thermal concealment during a military exercise.\" class=\"wp-image-2610\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/norwegian-soldiers-snow-cave-drone-warfare-concealment-1.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/norwegian-soldiers-snow-cave-drone-warfare-concealment-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/norwegian-soldiers-snow-cave-drone-warfare-concealment-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/norwegian-soldiers-snow-cave-drone-warfare-concealment-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/norwegian-soldiers-snow-cave-drone-warfare-concealment-1-150x84.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In response to the rise of drone surveillance in the Arctic, Norwegian troops are utilizing hand-built snow caves to mask their thermal signatures from aerial sensors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Norwegian soldiers still trust snow as their best concealment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>But Norway\u2019s soldiers are making a simpler point. The best camouflage in the Arctic may still be the Arctic itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even with multispectral systems entering the field, the Norwegian unit told Defense News that snow remains its &#8220;absolute best concealment&#8221; because darkness, fog, fresh snowfall, and quickly buried tracks can still beat expensive sensors most of the time. Old school? Yes. Outdated? Not really.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is also an <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/the-gerald-r-ford-leaves-the-atlantic-to-head-for-a-new-front-and-the-length-of-time-it-has-been-deployed-is-beginning-to-cause-concern-within-the-navy\/2123\/\">environmental angle<\/a> here that is easy to miss. Norway\u2019s own exercise guidance says environmental protection must take precedence over exercise needs. Protected areas include nature reserves, national parks, breeding zones, and reforested land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-207a1a75\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-7bede9da\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-96bad23c post-2552 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-tech resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-a0859384\">Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/a-swarm-of-124-energy-fish-in-the-rhine-promises-electricity-for-500-homes\/2552\/\">A swarm of 124 \u201cenergy fish\u201d in the Rhine promises electricity for 500 homes<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Units are also warned that wetlands and mountain terrain are especially vulnerable, and that reindeer can be harmed by noise and low flying activity. So the snow is not just cover, it is a fragile operating surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Modern Arctic warfare between drones, stealth, and survival skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of the day, modern Arctic warfare looks less like science fiction and more like a tug of war between sensors and survival skills. Drones are everywhere, but so are shovels, silence, and the need not to leave a trace.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The official statement was published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forsvaret.no\/en\/exercises-and-operations\/exercises\/cr26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>the Norwegian Armed Forces<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Norway\u2019s largest military exercise of 2026, one of the smartest answers to modern drone warfare looks almost prehistoric. Elite &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Drones have changed warfare in the Arctic to such an extent that Norway\u2019s elite soldiers are once again digging caves in the snow by hand to disappear beneath the ice before they can be spotted from the sky\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/drones-have-changed-warfare-in-the-arctic-to-such-an-extent-that-norways-elite-soldiers-are-once-again-digging-caves-in-the-snow-by-hand-to-disappear-beneath-the-ice-before-they-can-be-spotte\/2598\/#more-2598\" aria-label=\"Read more about Drones have changed warfare in the Arctic to such an extent that Norway\u2019s elite soldiers are once again digging caves in the snow by hand to disappear beneath the ice before they can be spotted from the sky\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-defense","resize-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2616,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598\/revisions\/2616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}