U.S. Officials: No Real Answer Yet For UAS Threat To Bases
FORT WALTON BEACH, Florida—The U.S. military does not have an effective, overall answer to the question of how to protect austere locations and aircraft from the threat of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), and needs both improved technology and a planning mindset change, officials say.
Both operations in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine have shown the increasing threat of UAS. An official speaking under Chatham House rules Feb. 26 at the Special Air Warfare Symposium here warned that UAS are “very clearly the most dangerous threat” to aircraft and personnel.
“Right now, we don’t have a way to stop this threat,” the official warns.
The Pentagon has brought on several systems to down UAS, which have largely been dealt with as a nuisance. But the proliferation of the systems and changing tactics have kept the threat ahead of protection efforts.