The US Army’s 11th Airborne Division has completed an electromagnetic warfare and counter-UAS training event at the Joint Pacific Alaskan Range Complex (JPARC), using the extreme conditions of interior Alaska to evaluate how EW and drone-defeat systems perform in the Arctic.
Held near Fort Greely in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit, the exercise brought together EW specialists from the division and a group of UAS and counter-UAS technology vendors. The aim was to allow soldiers to integrate electronic warfare tools with counter-drone systems, refine tactics and procedures and practice detecting and disrupting uncrewed aircraft in a contested electromagnetic spectrum.
First Lieutenant Gunnar Moffitt, an EW platoon leader with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), said the training provided a rare chance to observe how both friendly and adversary UAS operate in extreme cold.
“We were able to detect RF signatures, locate UAS command-and-control links, and assess how our systems perform in freezing temperatures and deep snow,” he said.
Soldiers focused on identifying and analysing electromagnetic signatures produced by different UAS platforms, using their organic EW equipment to track drone operators and evaluate how reliably their systems functioned in an Arctic environment.
Temperatures at JPARC routinely fall well below freezing, and snowfall can be heavy, conditions that offered a realistic test of system durability. The Army noted that cold weather had observable effects on battery performance for both EW and UAS technologies, providing insight into future design and operational requirements.
According to the service, data gathered during the event will help shape upcoming improvements to its EW and counter-UAS capabilities as the Army expands its focus on Arctic operations and emerging drone threats.
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Crédito da imagem da postagem: Exército dos EUA
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