In a recent live fire event in Poland, US Army troops engaged waves of drones from a remote-controlled weapon station for the first time.
The capability came courtesy of the Ballistic Low Altitude Drone Engagement (BLADE) system upgrade, which allowed the service to detect, track, and shoot down drones within an 800-meter (2,625-foot) range.
Soldiers fired from a Stryker vehicle, taking down drones in quick succession using a Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station (CROWS).
“Some of those [drone] threats were being flown simultaneously, so the system defeated one target then quickly targeted and defeated a second target in a matter of seconds,” said David Goldstein, an official from the Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center.
The demonstration took place during the fourth round of the US Army’s Project Flytrap, a series of exercises aimed at improving counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) capabilities.
From Ground to Aerial Defense
CROWS uses optics, a monitor, and motorized controls to let soldiers engage targets while remaining under cover. Originally engineered for ground targets, it supports .50-caliber machine guns and grenade launchers.
With BLADE, the system can now take down both aerial and land threats.
A precision radar and a C-UAS control software are added to the CROWS system, assisting operators in aiming at calculated points to neutralize drones effectively.
The hybrid setup works with various army weapons, serving as a tool to detect and track possible threats.
“I found that the ability to engage UAS using a CROWS has gone from impossible to possible with the addition of BLADE,” said US Army Major Jared Whitaker.
