The drone demonstration flights are part of a defense industry event, Electromagnetic Warfare Live, or EWLive, Maaleht wrote, in response to a reader's letter.

The event is a high-level international defense industry event focusing as its name suggests on electronic warfare and cyber and electromagnetic activities. It started earlier in the month and runs to Thursday.

Various demonstrations form an integral part of EWLive and will include flights of smaller unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the vicinity of the airfield and the Estonian Aviation Academy's (Eesti Lennuakadeemia) teaching building this week.

EWLive 2026 is being held on the grounds of Tartu Ülemurme Airport for the seventh time and is organized by Tangent Link, the Ministry of Defense and the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF). It is a closed event requiring registration.

Organizers say there is no cause for concern among local residents; the drones' use is being coordinated by the aviation academy.

As they are usually helium-inflated, blimp UAVs, also known as LTA (lighter than air) UAVs, can hover in place for extended periods of time and also fly much more quietly than their heavier-than-air counterparts. It also makes them "plummet proof" – if power fails, they fall more gently and so are safer where crowds of people might be expected.

Their hovering capacity saves on battery power, and means their applications can include "eye in the sky" surveillance and security, geospatial mapping and gas leak location. They can also serve as floating WiFi or radio hotspots in times of emergency. They have been used in Ukraine to augment the capacities of attack drones.

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