The Pentagon’s counter-drone office is planning a demonstration to neutralize unmanned aircraft swarms in June 2024, as drone swarms are becoming a growing threat on the battlefield. Maj. Gen. Sean Gainey, leader of the Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office, emphasized the need for a layered approach, including electronic warfare and kinetic interceptors. The counter-drone office has released a request for industry whitepapers for demonstrations against small UAS Swarm systems. The U.S. military is actively seeking solutions as countries like Ukraine experience significant losses to drone attacks.
Key Points:
- The use of drones, particularly coordinated swarms, is becoming a significant threat in modern warfare. This necessitates new defense mechanisms and strategies.
- The Pentagon’s counter-drone office will hold a demonstration in June 2024, focusing on neutralizing drone swarms. They are seeking industry input for “fixed/stationary or mobile/mounted Detect, Track, Identify, and/or Defeat (DTID) capabilities against [small UAS] Swarm systems.”
- Maj. Gen. Sean Gainey emphasized the need for a combination of electronic warfare, high-powered microwaves, and kinetic interceptors like guns to effectively counter large amounts of UAS.
- The counter-drone office, created in late 2019, has conducted four previous demonstrations, each focusing on different aspects of counter-drone technology. The U.S. military has also supplied Ukraine with counter-drone capabilities.
- The U.S. military has begun to employ counter-UAS as a service in different branches, including funding six sites for the Marine Corps, and employing two sites in the Army for fiscal 2024.
