U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) used its only deployable counter-drone system to detect and defeat small unmanned aircraft over an undisclosed “strategic” U.S. installation in the opening hours of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, according to Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
Guillot disclosed the incident in written testimony submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) on March 19. NORTHCOM has declined to identify the base, citing operational security. In U.S. military parlance, “strategic” can refer to assets linked to the nation’s nuclear arsenal.
Happening Soon
In just 10 minutes, General Gregory Guillot, Commander of U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), will testify on his command’s posture and priorities in safeguarding the homeland.
This hearing will review the…
— U.S. Northern Command (@USNorthernCmd) March 19, 2026
The system used was NORTHCOM’s fly-away kit (FAK), a rapidly deployable counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-sUAS) package produced by Anduril. The kit integrates the Heimdal mobile sensor trailer, equipped with thermal optics and radar, the Pulsar electromagnetic warfare platform for radio-frequency jamming, the Wisp wide-area infrared surveillance system, and the Anvil drone interceptor, which physically rams target drones from the sky.
An 11-person soldier team operates the kit, which became operational as a rapid-response force in November 2025.
NORTHCOM currently fields one FAK, with additional units due in late spring 2026, Guillot stated in his written testimony. The command’s sole kit was active as B-52 Stratofortress bombers, B-1 Lancers, and B-2 Spirits launched strikes on Iran.
Two weeks later, Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, home of the 2nd Bomb Wing and its nuclear-capable B-52s, reported multiple unauthorized drone incursions beginning the week of March 9 and issued a shelter-in-place order.
Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, LA was placed on a base wide lockdown early this morning after an unauthorized drone was spotted over the base resulting in a shelter in place order for the base. Unauthorized drone flights over military installations and other critical… pic.twitter.com/QRNYGgnBGp
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 9, 2026
A confidential March 15 briefing document obtained by ABC News described “waves of 12-15 drones” over sensitive areas of the installation, including the flight line, with aircraft displaying “non-commercial signal characteristics, long-range control links, and resistance to jamming.”
NORTHCOM has not confirmed whether the February incident and the Barksdale incursions are related. An investigation is ongoing, a 2nd Bomb Wing spokesperson confirmed.
“About a quarter of the ones that we detect we’re able to defeat,” Guillot told lawmakers. “Whereas a year ago, almost every one that was detected was not defeated.”
Guillot said he pays particular attention to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, home of the B-2, and works closely with U.S. Strategic Command chief Adm. Richard A. Correll to ensure nuclear-capable bases maintain adequate protection against small unmanned aircraft systems.
Drone incursions over U.S. military installations have surged in recent years, with Gen. Guillot telling Congress in February 2025 that approximately 350 drones were detected over 100 military sites in 2024.
