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'We're behind': US soldier leading a new 'catch-up' crash course says that the Army has to aggressively close the drone gap

'We're behind': US soldier leading a new 'catch-up' crash course says that the Army has to aggressively close the drone gap

Yahooa day ago
The US Army's got a new three-week crash course on flying drones.
It's an aggressive attempt to catch up on drone warfare, the director said.
The Army has made drones a top capability in the coming years and is testing them heavily in the field.
The US Army has a new crash course on drones. Right now, it's basic, fast, and aimed primarily at catching soldiers up on what they've been missing.
It's an example of how the US military is embracing drones, navigating growing opportunities and threats.
The inaugural Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course, launched by the Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker in Alabama, is a three-week class focused on building drone flight skills. Students use commercial off-the-shelf drones and simulation software to develop skills flying first-person view drones, according to a release.
The course's director, Capt. Rachel Martin, built the program in just 90 days. "This course is a catch-up," she said. "We're behind globally, and this is our aggressive attempt to close that gap."
There are currently 28 students, including infantry soldiers, cavalry scouts, and aviation personnel. As a pilot course, soldiers are primarily learning lessons from what Army units are currently struggling with in adopting drones.
Flying FPV, or first-person view, drones is a major topic, as is manufacturing and repairing drones with 3D printing pieces. One of the course's objectives is to build a repository of printable parts that soldiers can take back to their units for further use.
The learning curve, Martin said, has been substantial. "Most of my peers, including myself until 90 days ago, didn't know how to do this," she said. "Now we know what it takes, how many people, how much equipment, how much money, and we are sharing this information already with our partners out in the force."
The class's future will expand into other topics, including one-way attacks using FPV drones, an area soldiers in Ukraine have been implementing for years. By February, the Army said, Martin expects students to be using low-cost drones for precision strikes.
Drones have become increasingly prolific in Ukraine, with many quadcopters, octocopters, and more conducting surveillance flights and also bombing and strike missions. Millions of drones are supplementing more traditional weapons. Some experts caution against an overreliance on drones, but there is still a wide recognition that proficiency is important and that trained operators are force multipliers.
Drone operators are high-value targets, and in Ukraine, research indicates, operator casualties are on the rise. There are lessons in that for the US Army.
"We're creating operators who are not only lethal but also survivable," Martin said, explaining that "sUAS [small Uncrewed Aerial Systems] operators are the most sought-after high pay-off target on the battlefield right now."
"I am very aware that my team has been entrusted with developing solutions for a critical need in emerging Army tactics," she said.
The Army, much like the other US military service branches, has been openly grappling with the challenges of drone warfare and what it means for the force, which is still building experience in this space, with a lot of lessons still to be learned.
Flooding units with drones and counter-drone systems is a top priority for US military leadership, and uncrewed systems have been deemed a necessary and vital capability to prepare for potential future conflict.
There are growing investments in American drone tech, emerging drone and counter-drone schools, and field testing.
In the Indo-Pacific, soldiers have been exploring how drones adapt to flying in hot, rainy climates. Training exercises, like a special operations forces drill simulating a conflict involving Taiwan, have evaluated scenarios where enemy drone swarms attack soldiers. Another exercise in Europe saw soldiers carry drones into simulated conflict and adapt when their system broke or encountered technical difficulties, like cut connections.
Developing doctrine, tactics, and techniques is a work in progress, but a necessity for the Army considering the lessons from the Ukraine war, where both sides are continually advancing their drone capabilities in a real, fast-paced conflict.
In Ukraine, drone operators have to contend daily with the headaches of electronic warfare and signal jamming. These have led to unjammable fiber-optic drones with hard connections between operators and their drones and AI-enabled systems, resulting in new challenges for defenders. The technological arms race is moving fast, and there's a lot Western militaries watching the conflict need to learn to ready for a future drone war.
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Ukraine's answer to Russia's drone blitz
Ukraine's answer to Russia's drone blitz

Yahoo

time7 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Ukraine's answer to Russia's drone blitz

Shortly before dawn on July 9, Russia had fired 728 drones and 13 missiles into Ukraine, making it the largest Russian aerial bombardment of the war so far. The previous record had been set on July 4, and the one before that five days earlier. Russia's 'swarm' warfare, enabled by its ability to mass-produce low-cost, long-range attack drones, has exhausted and overwhelmed Ukraine's air defences, allowing targets to now be hit three times the typical rate. With its stocks of Western air defence missiles depleted and Russia's Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones flying faster, higher and with greater precision, Ukraine has become increasingly vulnerable. Credit: X / @wartranslated Volodymyr Zelensky had set a target by the end of July for Ukraine to produce 1,000 interceptor drones a month and blunt Russia's relentless drone offensive. The Ukrainian president bet big, estimating it would cost £4.4bn to ramp up production and train more pilots. The maths makes sense. It costs £3m to fire an interceptor missile from a US-made Patriot system – or £400,000 for those from the European IRSI-T – to knock out a £50,000 Shahed or possibly even a cheap decoy. Ukraine's new anti-aircraft drones, however, cost as little as £1,000 to £4,000. Depending on the interceptor, they either smash into their target, blow up next to it or shoot it down. Those being produced now have to be able to hunt the newer Shahed variants that are flying out of range of truck-mounted machine gun units, a core pillar of Ukraine's air defence. Kyiv already has a huge domestic drone industry manufacturing cheap but highly effective unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) en masse and quickly adapting them to the evolving aerial battlefield. To domestically produce a low-cost air shield will depend on time, money and whether it can defend against newer Russian drones. In July, Ukraine's military signed a major deal with Swift Beat, a company belonging to Eric Schmidt, the former Google chief executive, to mass-produce 'hundreds of thousands' of AI-driven drones. Sources say the company's three drones – kept secret for security reasons – are responsible for 90 per cent of Shahed interceptions. One of Ukraine's newest domestically-produced interceptors is the Bagnet (Bayonet) UAV, which is being lauded as the 'Shahed killer'. Purpose-built to down the lethal munitions, it can match the increased speeds of the Shahed (up to 150mph), fly at altitudes of 16,500ft with a 10-mile range. It is currently being used by several Ukrainians on the frontline, with confirmed successes. Five defence companies are now mass producing it for the military. Wild Hornets, a Ukrainian UAV manufacturer, this month showed its 'Sting' interceptor drone flying at speeds of up to 195mph, making it one of the fastest first-person-view drones on the market. Less than a year ago, the Sting flew at half the speed. Now, pilots have used the $2,500 (£1,860) model to down at least 100 Shaheds, the company said. It's a small contribution in the fight against Russia's drone attacks – it launched 6,129 Shahed-type drones in July alone, 14 times the amount launched in July 2024. 'Ukrainians feel they have found the technical solution to Russia's exponential increase in production of Shahed-type drones, but now it is a matter of scaling it up,' John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia programme at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, told The Telegraph. He said Kyiv had already proved it was up to the task, given its success in mass-producing interceptor drones to target Russian reconnaissance drones last year, which helped to blind Moscow's eyes in the sky. 'I was sceptical it could be done, but it could,' he said. The results are likely to be seen in 'six months to a year'. It's not as simple as producing drones – the pilots need to be trained and radar stations built. 'And then comes the adaptations,' he said. And yet the aerial battlefield changes fast. Ukraine has the edge now – but how long this lasts is unclear, said Mr Hardie. Some of Russia's attack drones are starting to show an ability to counter Ukraine's new interceptors. It's a cat and mouse game, with both sides locked in a technological race to gain the edge in a sky filled with drones. 'The dance never really stops,' he added. Valerii Riabykh, a Ukrainian weapons expert and the editor of Defence Express, said: 'Frankly speaking, it should take some time for Ukraine to have enough interceptor drones to combine them in an efficient system to counteract enemy suicide drones.' The state is also still playing catch-up. Ukrainian charities that crowdfund weapons through civilian donations have been supplying military units with interceptor drones for almost a year. Taras Tymochko, a consultant from one of the largest of them, Come Back Alive, said that they now supply interceptors to 90 units and that over 3,000 Russian drones have been downed as a result, including 100 Shaheds. He told The Telegraph: 'The Shaheds became the main weapon of terror attacks on our civil population. We needed to increase our capabilities'. Mr Tymochko estimates the value of downed Russian drones at $195m (£145m), over a dozen times more than the cost of the drones and equipment handed over under the project. 'When it comes to cost, it cannot be compared,' he said. But interceptor drones are no silver bullet to sealing the holes in Kyiv's air defences. The small propeller-powered interceptor drones are also no match for Russian missiles, or for its new jet-powered Shahed-type Geran-3 drones, which can fly at up to 500mph and are difficult to catch and being launched in increasing numbers. It also does not solve the issue of Russia's ability to launch cheap mass attacks of drones and decoys all across Ukraine at once as there are simply not enough Ukrainian drone pilots to target them all. 'They will change the future of air defence, but they won't replace conventional systems, they will compliment them,' he said. That future is coming – just not yet. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword

Pentagon must heed Ukraine — cheap drones are the future of warfare
Pentagon must heed Ukraine — cheap drones are the future of warfare

New York Post

time17 hours ago

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Pentagon must heed Ukraine — cheap drones are the future of warfare

The battlefield in Ukraine must teach the Pentagon a valuable lesson: Small drones are the future of warfare. Yet the US military has been pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into systems, from improved radar to laser weapons and missiles, that would be little use against the latest generation of attack drones appearing in Ukraine's skies. There may be a better way. Advertisement Critics complain the US Army is far behind the drone-warfare curve. Just last month a new manual of tactics for tank platoon commanders suggested using the tank's main gun to bring down incoming drones — and that in the event of a drone attack, a tank commander should sit out of the turret hatch and warn other tanks via hand signals. These are laughable instructions in the face of the Ukraine war's signature weapon, the first-person-view drone. Advertisement FPV drones are racing quadcopters converted into miniature guided missiles. These drones are agile and fly at high speeds. Even if it's spotted in time, hitting one with a tank gun would be like trying to swat a fly with a sledgehammer. FPVs can destroy a tank in multiple hits, often giving the crew time to escape — but sitting outside the armor would be suicidal. FPVs, costing just a few hundred dollars each, have flooded Ukraine's battlefield, and their ability to hit targets 12 or more miles away from their operators has been a major contributor to the current stalemate. Advertisement Scout drones flown by both Ukraine and the invading Russians spot any moving vehicle, and FPVs attack it before it can advance. Supply vehicles are a favorite target; according to a recent estimate, two-thirds of FPV strikes are now on the roads rather than the front lines. Both sides now lie low and dig deep, hiding in trench systems protected by anti-drone netting. Kyiv aims to build 4 million drones this year — enough to target individual foot soldiers. Advertisement And now they can do it from ambush. Battery-powered FPVs can only fly for about 20 minutes. Operators 'perch and stare' to save juice, landing their drone on a building or on the ground where they can watch a road or track used by the enemy. When a target appears, the FPV lifts off and attacks. A compilation video from one Ukrainian drone unit shows a series of ambushes, all in the same location: Each time a Russian patrol comes past, an FPV takes off from behind them from no more than 10 yards away. The soldiers react, turning and raising their Kalashnikovs . . . too late. Other videos show the target's point of view. In one, Ukrainians are driving down a track at high speed in a buggy when a Russian FPV lifts off ahead of them. A desperate chase follows, with the Ukrainians shooting the drone out of the air before it can hit them. Many troops now carry shotguns to counter FPVs. Advertisement Small drones keep evolving. Some are now fitted with the sort of miniature solar panels backpackers use to keep their phones charged. These power the drone's camera and communications without draining the battery. The solar-powered drone can lurk in ambush for as long as the sun is up, and start again the next day. In a sense these drones are just the latest version of mine warfare — but these are mines that can find their way anywhere, relocate themselves and attack from a distance. The current generation must be controlled by a human operator, but we're already seeing AI-powered autonomous FPVs in Ukraine. Advertisement In another year the battlefield may be infested with smart, solar-powered killer drones. Where is the US military in this futuristic world of drone warfare? On July 10, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an order to 'unleash US military drone dominance' and make procurement quicker and easier. Yet the US Army is only buying around 6,000 FPV-type drones in the current budget year. Ukraine uses that many every day, and Russia is catching up to that mark. Advertisement American plans to bring down attacking drones with missiles or lasers look impractical when ambushers can appear at such close range. The Ukrainians are already developing their solution: They're sending small bombers ahead of vehicles or troops to find waiting ambush drones and drop grenades on them. Soon to come is an AI-powered drone that can automatically detect ambushers on the ground. Sweeps by automated drones could keep the roads clear. Advertisement More important, though, Ukraine is leading by example, keeping up with drone warfare's rapid evolution as each development demands a countermeasure. The Pentagon has traditionally relied on big-money, high-tech solutions developed by American companies. But a willingness to embrace cheap technologies developed rapidly by friends and allies might save a lot of lives when US troops are featured in some future round of drone videos. David Hambling is the author of 'Swarm Troopers: How Small Drones Will Conquer the World.'

'We're behind': US soldier leading a new 'catch-up' crash course says that the Army has to aggressively close the drone gap
'We're behind': US soldier leading a new 'catch-up' crash course says that the Army has to aggressively close the drone gap

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

'We're behind': US soldier leading a new 'catch-up' crash course says that the Army has to aggressively close the drone gap

The US Army's got a new three-week crash course on flying drones. It's an aggressive attempt to catch up on drone warfare, the director said. The Army has made drones a top capability in the coming years and is testing them heavily in the field. The US Army has a new crash course on drones. Right now, it's basic, fast, and aimed primarily at catching soldiers up on what they've been missing. It's an example of how the US military is embracing drones, navigating growing opportunities and threats. The inaugural Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course, launched by the Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker in Alabama, is a three-week class focused on building drone flight skills. Students use commercial off-the-shelf drones and simulation software to develop skills flying first-person view drones, according to a release. The course's director, Capt. Rachel Martin, built the program in just 90 days. "This course is a catch-up," she said. "We're behind globally, and this is our aggressive attempt to close that gap." There are currently 28 students, including infantry soldiers, cavalry scouts, and aviation personnel. As a pilot course, soldiers are primarily learning lessons from what Army units are currently struggling with in adopting drones. Flying FPV, or first-person view, drones is a major topic, as is manufacturing and repairing drones with 3D printing pieces. One of the course's objectives is to build a repository of printable parts that soldiers can take back to their units for further use. The learning curve, Martin said, has been substantial. "Most of my peers, including myself until 90 days ago, didn't know how to do this," she said. "Now we know what it takes, how many people, how much equipment, how much money, and we are sharing this information already with our partners out in the force." The class's future will expand into other topics, including one-way attacks using FPV drones, an area soldiers in Ukraine have been implementing for years. By February, the Army said, Martin expects students to be using low-cost drones for precision strikes. Drones have become increasingly prolific in Ukraine, with many quadcopters, octocopters, and more conducting surveillance flights and also bombing and strike missions. Millions of drones are supplementing more traditional weapons. Some experts caution against an overreliance on drones, but there is still a wide recognition that proficiency is important and that trained operators are force multipliers. Drone operators are high-value targets, and in Ukraine, research indicates, operator casualties are on the rise. There are lessons in that for the US Army. "We're creating operators who are not only lethal but also survivable," Martin said, explaining that "sUAS [small Uncrewed Aerial Systems] operators are the most sought-after high pay-off target on the battlefield right now." "I am very aware that my team has been entrusted with developing solutions for a critical need in emerging Army tactics," she said. The Army, much like the other US military service branches, has been openly grappling with the challenges of drone warfare and what it means for the force, which is still building experience in this space, with a lot of lessons still to be learned. Flooding units with drones and counter-drone systems is a top priority for US military leadership, and uncrewed systems have been deemed a necessary and vital capability to prepare for potential future conflict. There are growing investments in American drone tech, emerging drone and counter-drone schools, and field testing. In the Indo-Pacific, soldiers have been exploring how drones adapt to flying in hot, rainy climates. Training exercises, like a special operations forces drill simulating a conflict involving Taiwan, have evaluated scenarios where enemy drone swarms attack soldiers. Another exercise in Europe saw soldiers carry drones into simulated conflict and adapt when their system broke or encountered technical difficulties, like cut connections. Developing doctrine, tactics, and techniques is a work in progress, but a necessity for the Army considering the lessons from the Ukraine war, where both sides are continually advancing their drone capabilities in a real, fast-paced conflict. In Ukraine, drone operators have to contend daily with the headaches of electronic warfare and signal jamming. These have led to unjammable fiber-optic drones with hard connections between operators and their drones and AI-enabled systems, resulting in new challenges for defenders. The technological arms race is moving fast, and there's a lot Western militaries watching the conflict need to learn to ready for a future drone war. Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword

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