The US Army has tested the Dronebuster counter-unmanned aerial system (c-UAS) in Boleslawiec, Poland, for European theater operations.
The Dronebuster is a rifle-like solution that fires electronic attacks to disable enemy drones.
The trial ran for two days and provided classroom sessions alongside hands-on demonstrations.
It served as the initial Dronebuster deployment for the 1st Cavalry Division Main Command Post Operational Detachment personnel under the Texas Army National Guard. The 1st Cavalry Division was among the first units to receive the solution in 2023.
Lessons were led by the division’s Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion Air and Missile Defense Systems Integrators, as well as c-UAS Mobile Training Specialists.
“We’re trying to improve the capabilities and readiness of this unit, in terms of being prepared for the drone threat that’s now prevalent on the battlefield,” c-UAS Mobile Trainer Brien Conner explained.
“The drone threat has completely changed. If the units are not preparing for that, we don’t want them to be caught off-guard.”
Implementing Early Practice
The army wrote that similar training was conducted at Fort Cavazos, Texas, following the Dronebuster’s initial delivery into service.
1st Cavalry Division Air and Missile Integrator Chief Warrant Officer 4 Benjamin Richards, who also organized the previous Dronebuster test, explained his experiences as a preparation planner and interface control officer in Poland.
“To get ahead and start training and educating our soldiers on how to operate the Dronebuster or mitigate drone threats, I thought it was a good idea to reach out early-on while we are still getting embedded within this region,” Richards remarked.
“The Army is good at providing lessons and classes, but it’s really important for soldiers to get a piece of equipment in hand and be able to apply it as well as see how it works.”
The Dronebuster
Depending on its variant, the Dronebuster can operate from 1 to 3 hours of jamming and more than 10 hours of detection.
Weapon models are offered in configurations ranging from 1.9 to 2.8 kilograms (4.2 to 6.2 pounds). All are powered by NATO-standard batteries approved and certified for military and civilian transport.
Dronebuster developer Flex Force noted that unfamiliar troops can train for the basic operation of the non-kinetic solution in less than five minutes.
Recent Projects
Flex Force subsidiary Radio Hill Technologies (RHT) delivered the 1,000th Dronebuster device in February 2022, three years after their merger.
In 2017, RHT signed a contract to supply 100 Dronebusters for the US Air Force.
By the end of the year, the company had delivered 200 of the weapons to the Pentagon and NATO partner customers.