Ukrainian drones 'destroy' US armored brigade - WSJ
Photo: Ukrainian soldiers launching a drone (Getty Images)
American and Ukrainian military personnel met for exercises in Germany, where they practiced scenarios designed to simulate real combat conditions. During one episode, Ukrainian drone operators managed to detect U.S. units and armored vehicles and emerged victorious in the exercise, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Earlier this year, US service members met with Ukrainian drone operators during the Combined Resolve military exercises in Germany.
The maneuvers are conducted to practice scenarios as close to real combat conditions as possible. This time, they demonstrated just how difficult it is for conventional forces to operate on a battlefield where reconnaissance and strike drones are actively deployed.
Ukrainian drones quickly detected US equipment
Approximately 3,500 US service members took part in the exercises. Their task was to storm positions at an army training ground held by opposing forces, reinforced by Ukrainian soldiers from the 412th Nemesis Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces.
According to the publication's sources, the Ukrainian drone operators had little difficulty detecting US units and armored vehicles that had arrived as part of the rotation from Fort Hood in Texas.
The US forces were equipped with standard electronic warfare systems and counter-drone measures, an army representative said.
However, according to US officials, the Ukrainian operators destroyed the American armored brigade during the exercise.
One participant in the maneuvers said that the heavy armor kicked up dust, making it easier for Ukrainian reconnaissance drones to detect them. After that, drones with explosives and FPV drones were deployed to attack the targets.
US equipment had to be "restored"
Ukrainian drones destroyed US equipment so quickly that it had to be reintroduced into the exercise scenario as new conditional units.
A US official familiar with the exercise's progress said that the equipment had to be effectively "restored" to allow the maneuvers to continue.
The US repeated the scenario over the course of two weeks. According to an army representative, units participating in later stages gradually improved their results. The troops became better at dispersing, camouflaging equipment, and using electronic warfare measures.
Midway through the exercises, the Ukrainian forces also switched sides in the simulated confrontation. There, they helped the Americans more effectively employ drone technologies in offensive operations.
US acknowledges they have much to learn from Ukraine
The Combined Resolve experience was not the US military's first signal of the need to study Ukraine's experience in conducting warfare with drones.
According to sources, the US Army is not the only NATO force to have faced the superiority of Ukrainian drone operators during exercises.
Last May, Ukrainian drone operators also outperformed British, Estonian, and other NATO forces, including the US contingent, during exercises in the Baltic region, according to a source.
This spring, Swedish forces conducted exercises alongside NATO allies, where Ukrainian drone operator teams also demonstrated superior results.
More on the successes of Ukrainian drone units
Ukraine's unmanned forces have been so successful in destroying Wildberries warehouses that the company's losses have reached billions of dollars. Moreover, the losses are now comparable to the annual budgets of some Russian regions.
This night, Ukrainian drones caused a complete blackout in the temporarily occupied city of Sevastopol. Power outages have also been reported in other Russian-occupied cities.
On the night of August 12, in Novorossiysk, following a massive drone attack, probable strikes on Russian military vessels, a grain terminal, and an oil terminal were recorded. The attack involved Palyanytsia jet drones, Neptune missiles, and unmanned maritime systems.
