From spotting drones to shooting them down, paratroopers have been testing the newest equipment and tactics to deal with the growing threat of drones.
Paratrooper from 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, targets an enemy Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) with a Drone Gun.
Paratroopers from the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System platoon took off with a First Person View drone to intercept an enemy Unmanned Aircraft System.
Soldier from the US Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment tried to identify British troops flying a first person view attack drone.
3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) joined forces with the US Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2 CR) for Exercise Flytrap in Lithuania. The units fought mock battles to test each other’s kit and tactics against drones.
Major John Bryning, Officer Commanding A Company 3 PARA, said: “Drones present two threats on the battlefield – it is a lot harder to remain undetected and, once you’ve been found, you can expect to be targeted very quickly and precisely.
“Drones present two threats on the battlefield – it is a lot harder to remain undetected and, once you’ve been found, you can expect to be targeted very quickly and precisely."
“Exercise Flytrap is a test for us after a lot of work to understand how drones are being used in Ukraine and developing countermeasures that align with how we fight.
“Firstly, we’re trying to make ourselves less visible using camouflage and concealment, dispersing troops, and exploiting weather conditions – and that is applying basic soldiering skills to a new problem. We’ve also been issued kit that offers different ways to both detect and defeat drones, whether that’s to shoot them down as a hard kill or jamming as a soft kill.”
Spotting drones before they spot you
Paratrooper from 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, used Cortexa Guardian a static camera & radar system to locate and identify drone threats.
Equipment that 3 PARA used to find and track drones included body-worn radio frequency detectors, to warn of a drone’s presence by picking up its control signal; and Cortexa Guardian, a miniature radar.
To bring drones down, the paratroopers used drone guns that block the control signals. They also used the SMASH gun sight, which fits onto a rifle and uses artificial intelligence to follow a drone's movement. It only lets the rifle fire when it has a clear shot.
The exercise pitted 3 PARA, who are light infantry moving on foot, against 2 CR mounted in Stryker armoured fighting vehicles. The units took turns attacking and defending each other, with drones in the air the whole time.
“We’re taking on a larger and more heavily armed US unit, and everyone has embraced the competitive nature and is trying to win."
Maj Bryning said: “We’re taking on a larger and more heavily armed US unit, and everyone has embraced the competitive nature and is trying to win. We’ve been able to really test our kit and tactics in high tempo and pressurised scenarios with the constant presence of drones.
“We’ve learnt a lot about how the equipment can be used, where the different systems sit on the battlefield, and how to use our counter-drone systems without impacting on the drones we’re flying.”
Competing to improve each other
Portrait of 1st Lieutenant, Joshua Pugh, Platoon Commander, US Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment, during Exercise Fly Trap in Lithuania
2 CR’s First Lieutenant Joshua Pugh said the force-on-force training had been “rewarding and enjoyable”.
“We are very different units with different capabilities and tactics, and that’s before looking at the different ways we operate with and against drones,” he said.
"Doing training like this, and experimenting and learning together, is how we’re going to get better.”
“Drones are a new threat, and no army has the right answer to countering them yet. We’ve each defeated the other’s drones, but also each got through the other’s defences. Doing training like this, and experimenting and learning together, is how we’re going to get better.”
16 Air Assault Brigade is the British Army’s lead formation for developing methods of fighting with and against drones, with 3 PARA taking the lead on counter-drone tactics.
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