The U.S. Army’s Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) activated its first operational team designed to rapidly counter drone threats to military installations.
An 11-person USNORTHCOM team deployed to Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, from Oct. 21 to27 to test and certify a new counter-small unmanned aerial system (C-sUAS) fly-away kit. The team engaged more than 100 simulated targets and earned certification as an operational unit.
“I’m proud of the USNORTHCOM fly-away team and what they’ve been able to do in a short amount of time,” said Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and USNORTHCOM, in a press release. “The validation and certification of our Counter-small UAS fly-away kit is an important step in being able to support installation commanders within the United States as they defend against drone incursions.”
The fly-away kit, developed by Anduril, integrates several technologies into a single system to detect and counter drone threats.
It includes a mobile sensor trailer with 360-degree thermal and radar coverage, drone interceptors for autonomous threat engagement, an electronic warfare module for radio frequency detection and disruption, and an artificial intelligence-enabled infrared system providing full-motion, 360-degree awareness.
The system was first tested during USNORTHCOM’s Falcon Peak 25.2 experiment in September at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where the team learned to set up the system, counter drone threats, and conduct post-mission teardown. The Minot deployment marked the first operational use of the kit, said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joey Frey, USNORTHCOM’s counter-UAS response program manager.
Frey said the training was designed to challenge the team while ensuring they could protect assets and minimize collateral damage. The evaluation in North Dakota covered all stages of deployment, from loading the equipment onto aircraft to redeployment back to NORTHCOM in Colorado Springs, Colo.
“This team of 11 far exceeded expectations of operators whose first time seeing the system was 30 days ago,” Frey said.
“When you have personnel passionate about the mission set, the mission is easy,” he said. “The desire to protect and defend comes naturally and the eagerness to learn echoed the urgency of our mission.”
Maj. Austin Fairbairn, the team’s ground lead, said the exercise provided a strong foundation for real-world drone engagements.
“We brought together a group of people from different career fields, military services, and an assortment of personalities and turned them into a high-functioning team of C-sUAS professionals,” he said.