WSJ: Ukrainian drones overwhelm US unit during exercise

During a military simulation in Germany, a Ukrainian unit specialising in the use of drones put an entire US armoured brigade out of action, highlighting the US Army’s vulnerabilities in the new era of drone warfare. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal, which recounted the events that took place during the Combined Resolve exercise between April and May.

Around 3,500 US military personnel, mostly from the 3rd Armoured Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division, were due to attack a position defended by opposition forces in the training area, reinforced by Ukrainian operators from the 412th Unmanned Systems Regiment, known as Nemesis. According to US officials quoted by the newspaper, the Ukrainian drones managed to ‘eliminate’ the American armoured brigade.

The US heavy vehicles kicked up large clouds of dust as they moved, making them easy to spot by reconnaissance drones. These were followed by aircraft simulating the dropping of explosives and FPV drones programmed to crash into the targets. The speed with which the American vehicles were neutralised forced the organisers to repeatedly reintroduce them into the exercise as new units to allow the simulation to continue.

This scenario was repeated throughout the two-week training exercise and, according to an army official, US forces gradually improved their performance, learning to disperse, blend into the environment and make better use of electronic warfare. Halfway through the exercise, the Ukrainians also changed sides, helping the Americans to use drones offensively.

The WSJ points out that this incident highlights the wealth of experience Ukraine has gained after years of war against Russia. In similar exercises, Ukrainian units have also prevailed over British, Swedish and other NATO forces. The Pentagon is now stepping up training and exchanges with Kyiv to gain experience in drone warfare tactics and in systems to counter them.