Inside the U.S. Military’s New Drone Warfare School | WSJ 

This isn’t enough, drone training needs to be implemented at a boot camp level. These things are taking out tanks, helicopters, full squadrons, and when you least expect it and you’re relaxing on base as security detail or transporting supplies

Teaching 1000 soldiers a year is too low. It should be more, if not mandatory for all soldiers.

According to recent numbers coming out of the war in Ukraine, each side burns through about ten thousand (10000) drones of every kind (attack, suicide, surveillance, reconnaissance etc) per month. PER MONTH. Drone integration is total at literal squad level. While this is a good first step for adapting to these new conditions, drone warfare training (operation and countering and evading) has to be integrated at boot camp level. Sending a soldier onto the battlefield today without these skills, is like sending a soldier into battle without a helmet and boots.

Nice to see the USM being smart and staying ahead of the game. Ignoring the drone threat means certain death.

I remember reading about how the US Marine Corp plan to revamp their infantry squads to include a dedicated drone operator. Could be interesting where they could utilize recon drones and offensive drones at squad level.

I was in the quadcopter hobby when it first started up... i knew pretty quickly they would be used as a weapon. Quick, long range, hard to see when flying. Its the most effective weapon there is on the battlefield right now while being extremely cheap

Hard to imagine a infantry squad without a drone specialist now attached. The threat is now as deadly from above as below and what structurally worked in previous conflicts is already becoming obsolete.

Drones are like a marriage of indirect fire and air support while remaining extremely economical. It’s gonna be a hard thing to counter.

The challenge and response development is breath-taking. After the drones quickly developed, counter measures were quick to follow.

What about the drones you don't see/hear coming? In most attack videos, the soldiers below are completely unaware of the drone above them until it is too late to react. What they need is a mobile, early detection device for small drones. Drones are the new IED mines, if you ask me.

I don't see any of this training being effective against evasive drones flying at you at 75 mph laden with explosives

Small FPV drones are very maneuverable, smart shooter is a token response. Dominance over the electromagnetic spectrum is a better option i.e. jamming the drone controller's frequency or GPS.

Seeing the footage coming out of Ukraine has been brutal and disturbing. These guys on both sides have no idea when a small, 500$ death machine is flying over their head. I cant imagine the psychological effect of not knowing when a fragmentation bomb could drop on you from above.

Although many countries have military drones, I don’t think anyone knew exactly how game changing they would be in warfare….they have completely changed the landscape of conventional war. Rest assured USA will do everything to be on top of drone technology. 🇺🇸

This is such a critical area of work for our boys. I hope we continue to build this out and appropriately integrate it into our capabilities quickly.

Outstanding video, thanks for sharing! 👍

You gotta train on cheap fpv drones that are being piloted and moving. The smart shooter optic seems kind of like a dud that only works on stationary-ish objects, but perhaps a completely automated system that can try to predict drones movement path and electronically aim a rifle/turret, similar to real AA, would be the way. If it could use bullets it would be cost effective

Great video. Looks like it purposely doesn’t show the larger systems they are training on; probably for good reasons. Smart shooter and drone buster are only handheld options for limited use. Can’t wait to see what else they are training on.

That MRAP with the mounted jammer is probably the smartest thing, cause most times you don't see an incoming drone till it's too late. Every infantry squad should have one of those, or a portable one you can deploy anywhere you are.

Glad we have these folks being smart and protecting us! Thank you for your service!!

so the jammer is ineffective against any purpose built drone. and the gun optic is useless because by the time you notice a drone and can see it and aim. it's most likely already full japanese

Against low numbers of very low-flying, slow moving recon drones in spectacular conditions and visibility, might be useful. Against suicide drones, no chance.

This was super interesting, thanks!

Those drone busters are pretty cool. A buddy of mine killed the WiFi in our barracks with it. Lol

Having a drone augment each soldier, with assault, recon and defensive capabilities is a necessity of the future battlefield. We need to be much more aggressive in this push.

Interesting video, definitely unique to see drone swarms and how advanced they will become before this decade is over

Dude seems capable and humble.

War is always changing with technology insane. Love your channel. Keep up the great work

US has the opportunity to advance its Defence systems and test them IRL and that’s the biggest advantage of the war in Ukraine for US.

FPV quad drones will prove to be one of the most effective weapons in the history of warfare

Good work

I love how the instructor explains how the weapons are used. For the Smart Shooter scope: "So the soldier puts it into operation the same way they do for any other situation. From that point there, you would look through the optic, which would acquire the target for you, at which case the soldier would pull the trigger, and the rest of it is done by the weapons system." Here's how he explains the Drone Buster: "This is known as an electronic attack system. So the soldier takes this here, and points it in the general direction of the target that they see, and then the soldier would place it in operation, and utilize various jamming means to, uh, interdict that target."

Once they figure out drone swarms it will be over for infantry on the ground.

u need drone in every sqaud/unit. Drone operator by 1/30 soldiers. All offensive groups should have 2 operators of FPV + drone up there to see all around...

Thank you

FPV enthusiasts bout to get spammed with messages from their local recruiter

Excellent! A large-scale integration with resolution radar technologies would make these platforms even more effective. Drones are after all fairly ubiquitous. It only makes sense to be sure that U.S. personnel are well-equipped to handle such threats.

DGI be like: "Welp our drones are turned to weapons, get in loads of lawyers to deal with this.".

Weve been training this for centuries bring out the clay pidgeons!

You would think that any drone used for military purposes would have a failsafe to do something autonomous in the event of loss of signal or jamming. Like home in on the jammer and bomb that or something. Off the shelf drones would not do that but it should be pretty easy for a military operation to create their own versions of the firmware. Take out the DGI firmware and replace it with your own military stuff. Yes, that would take some technical knowledge but that would be done at the depot level so the soldiers would not need to even be aware of the modifications.

It's not going to be soldiers vs drones, it will be drones vs drones. Drones are like an air force. They will always be present and dominate the battlefield. Unlike conventional air force, drones can replace soldiers by entering buildings, gathering Intel etc. the job of soldiers will be to deploy drones.

We need to develop ways to mass manufacture fpv drones.

Wow this is super interesting!

Thank you to everyone who serves.

That Colonel definitely also has movie star potential. Just sayin'.

Neither of these solutions will deal with FPVs, which Ukraine has moved to for 90% of attacks

Winds come sweeping down the plains. Yeah I live between Loco and Ringling Oklahoma

Soo much has changed that’s crazy 😳👍🏼🇺🇸

Militaries are often good at training towards a stated objective. Training objectives seldom replicate battlefield conditions.

You probably need frag round with automatic timer and a laser range finder with AI to get the distance of the target. The set up used here is good only for stationary drones.

Number one drone producer in the.world has demonstrated incredible feats with drone swarms… for things like nighttime light shows. It is amazing. Look into it.

Thank goodness we are doing this and working on the swarm problem. Way better use of defense dollars than aircraft carriers - the winning tech from 80 years ago. Hopefully we have an offensive plan with drone swarms too

Fascinating insight from WSJ! The U.S. Military’s new Drone Warfare School is at the forefront of shaping the future of military strategy. Precision and innovation in drone technology are undeniably the next frontier.

Love this

That Optic is looking mighty like the Cyberpunk 2077 smartgun optics.

Good thing all of the suicide drones just sit in the open and watch you for 20 mins before engaging...

" We are going to train as many soldiers as possible" "They are going to train 1000 soldiers a year" "" It's harder to shoot a brightly coloured balloon than a drone that's probably the same core as the sky or the clouds... Do they actually read what they write before publishing it

Good stuff

This is needs to be operated everywhere especially in basic training and expanded.

I have watched a lot of videos of drone attacks on reddit. No offensive to the US military leadership, but I have to question how effective use of small arms to interdict these things really is. The US should be more involved in Ukraine to learn the actual truth about this "new" form of warfare.

Modern Warfare 💯

I wonder how the drone counter measures would do against an fpv freestyle or racing drone that can more far more unconventional that a standard consumer drone.

Sir, why am i pointing an oversized Lunch Box at Drones? I don't think my Tuekey and Swiss has any affect on it sir...😅

The drone company is named DJI not DGI.

Does the US always have to expose what they are doing? Like I am all for this, but does this info always have to go out in the public? Doesn't this give other countries ideas to just do the same and knowledge about what we're up to?

Also, many COD players, especially in the B02 era knew all this drone stuff was coming and game-changing, I was calling in swarm kill streaks and rovers over 10 years ago

What’s the attrs code, how do you volunteer to attend if your in the army.

With all of the drone warfare going on in Ukraine, any military would be crazy not to invest in drone warfare

Why not just use a radar-guided machine gun (like the german gepard) but on a small scale (mounted on a truck)? We also have AI for image processing and target acquisition, maybe you don’t even need radar for this Drones may be cheap but bullets are even cheaper

It's like manhacks and swarm drones in modern warfare and hl2 respectively. crazy it's coming true

What would the rate title be for this new training?

Clowns. Holding myself out as an SME in ADA. Not SCALABLE in industrial capacity context, nor at a price-point to field to entire force, where the FLOT NEED to engage early. Question the TAA done in DOTMLFP-F. Meh.

What US and western high tech air defense systems doing in ukrain🤡

0:28 "pace of your phone changing' but phones havent changed in 3 years, Colonel.

I swear. Even the WSJ doesnt even do five minutes of research now to find out the company is DJI. NOT DGI. Come on guys.

This is a waste of money. Not one trans non sis gender soldier.

To defeat this problem effectively you’ll need R2d2. Straight up. Maybe a system where there helmets can detect drones and there bags carry a mini multi firing system that takes out the drone automatically. Or if that’s not realistic then have every squad bring a mini iron dome type system that’s attached to a vehicle or that’s on the back of a quad that can be brought along in tight quarters.

Very good ;)

Thank you military for taking drones seriously. Drone defense systems should be used and be deployed everywhere. We need more technology

The video only covered defense from drones; how about offense? Is there a FPV drone school, procurement program, etc.?

I remember seeing a RU-vid video about 6 years ago of a quad copter dropping a kinetic shaped weight on a junk car. Gravity sure makes tossing a rock more powerful 500ft above the target.

The discussion around U.S. drone technology, particularly the decades-long use of Reaper drones, prompts intriguing questions. The absence of technologies like FPV in military drones, coupled with the focus on global aerial dominance, raises the possibility of strategic knowledge beyond defense. The mention of the Joint Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems University adds complexity, suggesting a specialized institution addressing evolving security challenges. When considering speculative developments like the RQ-180 stealth drone, the U.S. military's silence on advancements and the lack of legal obligations for disclosure deepen the mystery.The focus on drone defense, without disclosing new technologies, sparks further inquiry. Unlike regulations for disclosed aircraft like the B-21 Raider, the absence of legal obligations for global drone advancements suggests the potential for undisclosed U.S. drone technologies. Questions arise about the extent of technological advancements, strategic implications, and the potential for an information war where the U.S. holds hidden cards in the global warfare landscape.The absence of FPV in military drones raises additional questions, as fighter pilots benefit from this technology. Its exclusion in drone operations, despite its potential to save pilot lives, adds complexity. The overarching question persists: What are the underlying circumstances, implications of the U.S. and its drone defense school's knowledge, and why was this information disclosed? There seems to be more at play than a mere attempt to reassure the public, hinting at a broader agenda within the U.S. government and military.

Can you do tjis enlisted???

When he said drone swarm mind instantly went bo2

None of the systems they showed would have stopped the two attacks we saw at the beginning of the video!

The pentagon saw what’s happening in Ukraine and definitely took notes

having a bird view is a lots of advantage. when comes to war, even I'm a civilian I would like to enter on this squad.

Drone buster needs to be automated and put on tanks like the phalanx for ships.

Can someone explain how the smart optics actually work when acquiring the target and what that actually entails?

there is a counter of this technology but its double edge sword.... Jammers that would interfere with every radio wave which also affects friendly frequencies....

I'm surprised L-MADIS, Coyote 2 interceptor drone, Lattice counter drone system, Roadrunner and Roadrunner-M weren't mentioned.

“Righteous Strike” Milley

Beautiful. I am glad that our Country America is engaged in training every branch in our defense to use a multilayer approach in dealing with the modern day drone warfare.

If I’m soldiers, I’m carry bullet proof umbrella.☂️

Consider Unmanned Land and Water vehicles too.

How does one join this program from Ghana

War has changed. It's no longer about nations, ideologies, or ethnicity. It's an endless series of proxy battles fought by mercenaries and machines. War - and its consumption of life - has become a well-oiled machine. - Solid Snake

They should have the drones flying the balloons in some dive/attack patterns around if they really want to drill muscle memory. The kamikaze ones are stupidly fast, maneuverable, and small

Electronic jamming holds a lot of promise - presumably range is the issue, but like any tech I expect that they will build a better mousetrap.

looks super cutting edge! but just wondering how this could affect stability or instability in the region and how it would affect the economy around the world!