Sky Soldiers showcase their collaborative innovation efforts at LANDEURO

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VICENZA, Italy – U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s Bayonet Innovation Team (BIT), alongside counterparts from the Multi-Domain Command Europe (MDCE), showcased their innovation efforts during the inaugural LANDEURO Symposium and Exposition, July 16–17, in Wiesbaden, Germany.

The 173rd’s BIT joined MDCE’s innovation team to talk about their collaborative efforts to help drive bottom-up innovation. Both teams operate in-house drone labs to rapidly produce unmanned aerial systems, specifically tailored to mission requirements. This initiative strengthens autonomy and supports scalable innovation at the unit level, directly aligning with the Army Transformation Initiative.

These innovation teams supported each other’s establishment by exchanging knowledge and expertise on a regular basis. Together, these units consulted with roughly 100 external entities to date, on innovation.

“I’m proud to say that I walked around LANDEURO and knew a lot of the industry part or private industry teams very well,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Vincent Gasparri, director of the 173rd’s BIT.

These working relationships with industry demonstrate the team’s commitment to advancing not only its own capabilities but also the Army’s broader innovation ecosystem.

The event allowed the 173rd’s BIT to strengthen growing partnerships with other innovation teams through face-to-face engagements and exchange technical knowledge.

Gasparri said the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force and 56th Fires (MCDE) are strategically important capabilities in the European theater, noting their efforts are supported by technical experts from U.S. European Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa. He further clarified that LANDEURO highlighted the importance of in-person collaboration, enabling alignment with MDCE on design sharing and strengthening the innovation ecosystem across tactical and strategic formations.

Though operating at different echelons, both units are solving similar challenges through internally developed drone systems. The 173rd focuses on purpose-built, attritable first-person view (FPV) drones tailored to the unit's rapid-deployment, tactical mission sets, while the MCDE builds intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance-capable systems that enhance strategic long-range fires. The units continue to share computer-aided design files and parts lists to cross-build platforms, accelerating innovation across the Army.

The 173rd’s BIT demonstrates bottom-up innovation. Its efforts include integrating FPV drones into live-fire training and certifying non-tactical unmanned aerial system operators who construct their own drones. They recently conducted the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s first FPV drone live-fire on autonomous moving targets during Swift Response 2025 at Pabrade Training Area, Lithuania, May 18, 2025.

Collaboration is fundamental to their innovative efforts. Ahead of LANDEURO, the 173rd’s BIT worked alongside 2nd Cavalry Regiment’s (2CR) innovation team by regularly sharing code and best practices. U.S. Army Capt. Ronan Sefton, an intelligence officer previously assigned to 2CR, emphasized this multi-unit approach. During an interview at Balli Airfield in Vilseck, Germany, he explained how 2CR’s drone innovation lab was created and how it is transforming the way units develop and share drone capabilities.

"What's great about this space is that 2CR can be here and the 173rd’s here, and we're constantly working together to improve each other’s designs," said Sefton.

The 2CR’s small unmanned aerial systems program operates a multi-patch drone innovation lab, providing a shared environment for the 173rd and other units to exchange designs, assistance and lessons learned.

“One of the kind of great parts about how it's multi-patch is we don't get into the stovepipe of where 2CR is only interacting with 2CR, and we're not really improving each other,” Sefton explained.

This lab, equipped with soldering stations and 3D printers, produced 30 purpose-built drone systems between February and April 2025, showcasing its rapid prototyping capacity.

“The whole concept is we're designing them and constantly adapting them, and there isn't this long research or sort of testing timeline that has to occur,” Sefton added.

LANDEURO provided these innovative teams with a forum for emphasizing cooperation, innovation and readiness. Their shared experiences and ongoing collaboration underscore the U.S. Army's commitment to readiness and lethality in a rapidly evolving security landscape.

About SETAF-AF

SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.

About 173rd Airborne Brigade

The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army’s Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. Forward stationed in Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to enhance readiness and lethality.

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