U.S. and British Troops Collaborate with Industry to Enhance Drone Warfare Capabilities
Working closely with industrial suppliers of uncrewed aerial system (UAS) aircraft, U.S. and British troops used training exercises to learn more how they might benefit from UAS and counter-UAS technologies on the battlefield. Dubbed Project Flytrap (see figure), the exercises are meant to prepare for the use of UAS gear in action. Training was performed at the Hohenfels Training Area, Germany and the Bemowo Piskie Training Area near Elk, Poland. Soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment, under V Corps, and troops assigned to the 1st Royal Yorkshire Regiment of the British Army trained alongside UAS industry representatives who taught them more about how the uncrewed systems would perform in different circumstances.
Colonel Matthew B. Davis, the V Corps transformation chief, served as the exercise director. He explained the intent of the training: “Project Flytrap is a series of training events that we've designed to test and refine some new counter-unmanned aerial systems and tactics to respond to the evolving threat of drone warfare.”
Colonel Donald R. Neal, commander of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, pointed out how military and industry personnel can learn from each other: “Think of a soldier operating a piece of equipment with the person from industry next to them. The soldier gives feedback on what would make it work smoother, they make that change, they test it out, and they iterate on it.” The trainees hoped to gain a competitive edge through the use of the UAS equipment and helping to make improvements in the functionality and performance levels of the systems. Neal explains how the training will help soldiers gain a more dynamic appreciation for UAS weapons: “What we're tasked with doing is taking this technology that's counter-UAS focused, and the answer that we're trying to provide for the Army is, how do we take systems that have largely revolved around static defense, and put it in an offensive vehicle-centric organization that does combat tasks.”
