The US military is testing new anti-drone weapons near the border of a NATO state with Belarus. More than 50 technologies are evaluated
The United States military is conducting a large-scale military exercise in Lithuania, about 30 kilometers from the border with Belarus, to test new methods of combating drones, considered one of the biggest threats of modern warfare.
The US military is testing new anti-drone weapons 30 kilometers from the border with Belarus. PHOTO: Facebook
The exercise, called Flytrap 5.0, takes place in the Pabradė military range and brings together American and British soldiers, who practice both the operation of drones and defense against them in a combat scenario dominated by unmanned aerial threats, defenseromania.ro writes.
According to the Forbes publication, the Flytrap project was launched by the US Army to identify the most effective solutions against cheap drones, which have proven their effectiveness on the battlefields in recent years.
More than 50 different technologies were tested in the exercise in Lithuania, including radars, electronic jamming systems, interceptor drones, missile launchers and unmanned ground vehicles.
The US military explained that the systems are being evaluated at all operational levels, from small teams of soldiers to squadron-sized units, to determine which technologies provide the best results in real combat conditions.
A special emphasis is placed on cooperation between allies and the development of a common data exchange system, which would allow the rapid detection of enemy drones and the real-time coordination of neutralization measures.
Flytrap 5.0 represents the largest phase of the program to date and is the first exercise in which anti-drone systems are integrated at the level of an entire squadron. The project previously went through testing phases in Germany and Poland.
The exercise is integrated into NATO's plans to strengthen the eastern flank and includes the use of artificial intelligence and digital systems to speed up the process of identifying threats and making decisions on the battlefield.
Among the solutions being tested are cheaper methods of destroying drones, including the use of small arms with special ammunition that explode near the target and generate fragments capable of neutralizing the aircraft.
U.S. General Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, said the transformation of the armed forces is essential in a security environment where drones and electronic warfare play an increasingly important role.
“We are transforming to enable offensive maneuvers in an environment saturated with drones and electronic warfare, and Flytrap is critical to achieving this“, said General Donahue.
The next phase of the program, Flytrap 6.0, will expand the tests to an entire brigade and involve larger numbers of soldiers and equipment in larger scale operations.
