Rapid changes in drone warfare have prompted the U.S. Army to commit to a regular competition cycle so it can move cutting-edge counter-UAS systems into the field faster, service officials said Monday at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) conference.
“We need to ensure that we continuously outpace the threat,” Col. Guy Yelverton, project lead for the Army’s counter-drone product office, said during a panel discussion. He told attendees the service will run competitions “at least at an every two-year cycle” to assess industry capabilities and accelerate procurement of systems for soldiers and units.
Yelverton outlined five lines of effort the Army is pursuing to counter small drones. Two efforts targeted by the competitions are soldier-carried kit, portable systems individual troops can carry, and unit common equipment such as sensing arrays mountable on vehicles like the Humvee.
Separate efforts address protection for fixed sites and larger counter-UAS air-defense batteries, officials said. The Army’s work concentrates on smaller unmanned aerial systems, larger Group 4 and 5 platforms remain the purview of traditional air-defense assets such as fighter aircraft and missile batteries.
The service is already wrapping up contests for a new fire-control system and is evaluating candidate equipment for soldier-borne counter-drone kits, Yelverton said. He noted about a dozen vendors are participating in an ongoing soldier-common-equipment competition and that the Army is willing to select multiple suppliers if they meet requirements:
“And if they’re all good, we’ll select all 12, because we need a lot of capability in the counter UAS environment,” he said.
Maj. Gen. David Stewart, director of long-range fires and integrated air and missile defense, described Group-3 drones as occupying a “vexing middle ground” because of their combination of speed, range and maneuverability. He warned that swarms of small Group-1 and Group-2 drones can produce effects comparable to single Group-3 attacks.
Col. Marc Pelini, military deputy for the Army’s fires future capability directorate, said high-power microwave (HPM) weapons may be the most economical and effective approach to countering swarm attacks, provided those systems can reach targets “at least a kilometer or two” away. The Army is also testing kinetic and semi-kinetic solutions, including missile interceptors such as the Coyote, which can be employed against drone swarms.
Officials emphasized the need for layered defenses:
“I don’t think there’s a silver bullet that can address the full range of the threats,” Pelini said, arguing for a “Swiss Army Knife of effectors” to protect forces across the spectrum of drone threats.
The competitions scheduled for fiscal 2026 will solicit industry for unit common equipment, sensors and electronic warfare capabilities, according to the Army presentation.
RELATED CONTENT: US Army allocates $5 billion for Coyote interceptors
Post Image Credit: U.S. Army
Follow C-UAS Hub on LinkedIn for regular counter-UAS content updates.
