A new video released by the U.S. Army shows soldiers preparing for a first-of-its-kind drill — how to defend against a drone swarm.
The footage offers an ominous glimpse into the future — and an sobering vision of what soldiers will soon face on the battlefield.
WATCH:
As Task & Purpose reports:
The “MILES” gear Taylor is referencing is the system that simulates kills and casualties for personnel and equipment at National Training Center. The National Training Center is one of the Army's principal training locations, offering more than 1,000 square miles where soldiers can prepare for deployments by training in a variety of combat scenarios, including a war against a near-peer adversary, such as China or Russia. The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the host unit at the base, acts as the aggressor unit at the training center, simulating various adversaries.
“We're working to integrate them into our battlefield simulation system, and we intend to use them,” said Brig. Gen. Taylor. “There is huge potential there.”
Taylor said that the training center is keeping a close eye on how drones are being employed in current conflicts, both in Ukraine and especially in Nagorno-Karabakh, where the use of small drones has proven critical for Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia.
Six years ago, the Army was forced to acknowledge it had no universally practical countermeasures against small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) when friendly forces to the U.S., equipped with Abrams tanks, were hit by a bomblet from a homemade ISIS drone. The explosion killed a tanker who moments before had stood confidently in the tank's hatch.
While high-end laser defense systems are effective, their cost will likely restrict their usage to protect VIPs. Squad-level solutions have been harder to come by, as The Drive notes:
The problem with missiles, guns, and even lasers is that they can only knock down a single drone at a time, so being overwhelmed and your defenses quickly overrun is a very real proposition, especially considering the relatively low barrier to entry. Drones that use man-in-the-loop control systems — basically, someone is flying it remotely — are easier to counter than an autonomous swarm as they rely on a direct and persistent two-way communications link that needs to maintain line-of-sight. When drones themselves pick and prosecute targets cooperatively and autonomously as a group, with little or no real-time human direction, things get much more challenging. Think hive mind here that can adapt on the fly to maintain its maximum potential. It is a very resilient and very troubling threat to counter. This capability is not science fiction and will increasingly be something to worry about, especially when facing a peer adversary like China which has been actively developing it in various forms for years.
Many defense experts believe electronic warfare is the most effective counter to rapidly evolving drone technology.
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They are working well for the Ukrainians. Individual drones can be quiet and sneaky and each target would need special radar to see them coming. I would think ammo dumps and command posts would be most vulnerable to drone attack.
I agree that electronic countermeasures would seem to be the best response. I’ve seen anti-drone guns that fry electronics to kill drones, similar to using shotguns while duck hunting. Just point and shoot. I’m sure drone developers are working to harden onboard electronics against the EMP used by the shooters. Another defense might be deployable nets to entangle the rotors.