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The Ukrainian operators were so effective that US vehicles had to be repeatedly “re-spawned” to keep the exercise going.
Ukrainian servicemen fire a Soviet made ZU-23 anti-aircraft twin autocannon towards a Russian drone during an air attack near Pavlograd. (AFP file photo)
US troops were repeatedly spotted and “destroyed” by Ukrainian drone operators during a military exercise earlier this year, exposing weaknesses in how American forces protect themselves from battlefield drones, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
The incident took place during Combined Resolve, a major US Army exercise held in April and May in Germany. Around 3,500 US personnel, mainly from the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, took part in the drill.
Ukrainian troops from the 412th Regiment of Unmanned Systems Forces, known as Nemesis, joined the exercise and supported the opposing force. Their drone units quickly detected US troops and armoured vehicles, according to US officials and a participant familiar with the exercise.
Ukrainian Drones Dominated Drill
Reconnaissance drones first located the vehicles, followed by drones carrying simulated explosives and first-person-view drones that flew directly towards targets.
A US official familiar with the drill told the WSJ that Ukrainian operators were so effective that US vehicles had to be repeatedly “re-spawned” to keep the exercise going. In such military drills, a drone can be declared a “kill” when it gets close enough to a target, even though no live ammunition is used.
US Forces Adjusted Tactics
The US troops improved as the exercise was repeated, becoming better at dispersing their forces, concealing their movements and using electronic warfare and counter-drone systems, according to the report.
An Army official told the WSJ that the Ukrainian troops later switched sides and helped the US forces use drones offensively, with the Ukrainian operators proving effective in training them.
The Army official also said newer US units equipped with updated technology and tactics have performed much better in similar exercises, according to the WSJ.
Lessons From Ukraine
The exercise highlighted the experience Ukrainian forces have gained from years of fighting Russia, where drones have become central to frontline warfare.
American forces, by contrast, have less experience operating, repairing and adapting drones under combat conditions.
Eliot Cohen, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told WSJ that recent battlefield experience showed that drones had become essential to modern warfare.
“It is vital that the US military master that,” Cohen said, adding that “thus far” this had not appeared to be the case.
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