An American company commander widely reported as getting his clock cleaned by Ukrainian drone operators in an exercise gives his perspective.
We did not have counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (cUAS) capability that we would have wanted. Our brigade was not a Transformation-in-Contact (TiC) unit that places new, sometimes untested weapons and tech directly in the hands of soldiers.
Perhaps the Army and industry partners have already developed a secret “win button” device for drone warfare. But if they did, we didn’t have it.
But fighting a tilted, uphill battle against seasoned combat veterans is exactly what made the experience so valuable. We did not complain; we adapted, accepting that the sky — in perpetuity, not just sporadically — was now part of the battlefield.
The company learned how to operate without active countermeasures to cope with the threat. Skills that will be necessary even when the company can fight back.
Note too that the enemy needed ground troops to find and target them after the company exploited terrain as cover from aerial recon. And when on offense during the exercise with Ukrainian drone help from the Nemesis unit, the exercise exposed a weakness of drones:
When we maneuvered and made the hunters of Nemesis feel like the hunted, the skies cleared up.
Yes, secure positions behind static lines amplify drone effectiveness.
I commented on the panty-flinging by drone enthusiasts for a different exercise with similar results.
I also heard that the American exercise was supposed to help train Ukrainian drone operators. Which would help Ukraine fight more effectively if Russia resumes mechanized warfare.
Learning in realistic exercises is better than learning in deadly combat.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
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NOTE: Photo from the article.
