A US commander says facing Ukrainian hunters helped his troops figure out how to use armor in a drone-heavy fight
Russia's war in Ukraine has demonstrated that tanks and armored vehicles are vulnerable to drone threats. Obsolescence, though, is up for debate.
Captain Allan W. Watson, commander of Blackhawk Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, penned an op-ed for Task and Purpose detailing how his troops adapted to the threat of Ukrainian drones during a recent combat training exercise. While drones posed a challenge, Watson highlighted that American troops still managed to utilize their armored vehicles effectively.
The exercise, held in Germany, featured Ukrainian soldiers with real drone combat experience, posing a formidable test for the American forces. The Ukrainian unit, known as Nemesis, brought valuable drone-fighting expertise to the simulation. Watson recounted how his soldiers adapted by hiding their armored vehicles in gullies and utilizing the terrain to conceal their movements, thereby evading the drones' surveillance.
Although the enemy managed to detect their presence at times, Watson emphasized that even with drone reconnaissance, traditional ground reconnaissance and infiltration techniques remained crucial. Throughout the exercise, the US forces suffered losses of Bradleys and tanks, which Watson attributed to the high-pressure nature of the training scenario.
Despite these setbacks, Watson firmly stated that armor did not become more vulnerable; instead, it offered crucial mobility, protection, and firepower when used with a drone-aware strategy. While experts have debated the vulnerability of armored vehicles against drones, Watson's account suggests that armor remains a valuable asset in modern combat, even in an era of increasingly prevalent unmanned systems.
Written by urgent.news from Business Insider's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
