Pentagon simulates Ukraine war conditions in Alaska to test drones
Illustrative photo: In Alaska, the Pentagon simulated a war in Ukraine to test drones (24tv)
The Pentagon simulated Ukraine’s combat conditions to test its drones. The trials were conducted in the state of Alaska, according to Defense News.
As the outlet writes, in June of this year, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) of the Pentagon organized a series of tests of unmanned systems at a testing range near Fort Wainwright in Alaska.
The purpose of the trials was to test the effectiveness of drones in a complex environment of electronic warfare, similar to the conditions Ukrainian military personnel face.
Five companies demonstrated their systems over four days. Some UAVs encountered problems – in particular, with navigation and target detection. This is due to the fact that some solutions are still not sufficiently ready for use outside laboratories.
However, some teams managed to adapt the drones and improve their performance by the end of the trials.
A notable feature was the use of old equipment to simulate modern threats, which created additional difficulties.
"We’re trying to take a two-decade-old piece of equipment and tool it to a modern day [threat]," one of the military operators noted.
The DIU emphasized the importance of regularly conducting such tests, as they allow for improvement of tactics and identification of gaps in technical support.
The outlet noted that, according to a DIU representative, it is important for companies to understand both their strengths and weaknesses in order to make effective improvements.
Although Ukraine is considered the best testing ground, due to the political situation, such tests are currently impossible there. Alaska was chosen as a safe alternative – with long summer days and minimal radio interference.
Recently, in the US, a strike UAV LUCAS was tested, which is called an analogue of Iranian kamikaze drones Shahed-136. The development was carried out by the American company SpektreWorks.
Before that, US President Donald Trump expressed interest in Ukrainian combat drones for the American army. Trump stated that the US does not mind buying Ukrainian drones.
Also, US presidential special representative Keith Kellogg highly praised Ukrainian drones. He even recommended the American defense industry to take an example from Ukraine.
