As drones menace European airspace, US Army tests c-UAS systems in Germany

WASHINGTON — As Eastern European nations look to guard against the ever-growing threat from unmanned systems, a US Army contingent on the continent recently evaluated a host of industry counter-unmanned system offerings, choosing a handful of winners to join a fast-track acquisition system, while other US soldiers drilled with allied nations to refine c-UAS tactics.

“Both these efforts were about strengthening NATO’s Eastern point deterrence line against the drone threats, specifically against what we’ve called one-way attack drones,” Brig. Gen. Curtis King, chief of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, told a small group of reporters today.

During one exercise, Project Flytrap 4.5 which took place from Nov. 10 – 21 in Germany, the US Army and vendors from the US and allied nations hosted a competition to counter simulated threats from Group 1-3 (small- to medium-sized) drones operating in NATO airspace. It’s a hypothetical not too far from recent reality, in the wake of several incidents of suspicious drones sightings over key sites in Europe.

During one exercise, Project Flytrap 4.5 which took place from Nov. 10 – 21 in Germany, the US Army and vendors from the US and allied nations hosted a competition to counter simulated threats from Group 1-3 (small- to medium-sized) drones operating in NATO airspace. It’s a hypothetical not too far from recent reality, in the wake of several incidents of suspicious drones sightings over key sites in Europe.

For the latest edition of Flytrap, the Army was keen to evaluate systems that could either detect, discriminate or defeat drones using active sensors, passive sensors or kinetic interceptors.

Project Flytrap is an ongoing exercise led by the US Army intended to showcase innovative c-UAS solutions with NATO countries.

Out of the 20 companies who showcased their platforms, four companies were awarded $350,000 and were entered into the Army’s new Global Tactical Edge Directorate (G-TEAD) Marketplace where Army units and allied nations can go in and purchase a capability. The marketplace is a part of the larger G-TEAD program

, a new acquisition pathway designed to speed up the delivery of operationally ready equipment and software to the Army and allied and partner nations.