Forging Experts: C-UAS Capability Fielding on the Eastern Flank

Lipa, Poland – In a powerful demonstration of rapid capability development, soldiers from Poland, Romania, and the U.S. recently completed an intense 20-day Train-the-Trainer course at the training areas near Lipa. This initiative, focused on a critical new counter-unmanned aerial systems capability, showcases how the U.S. is leveraging its experience and NATOs authorities to quickly equip Allies on the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line.

“This training is absolutely important,” said Capt. Justin Atkins, lethality branch chief with 7th Army Training Center. “One of the things that everyone is prioritizing right now is the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line, and this system fits right inside that layered air defense.”

The T3 course was designed to transform a diverse group of personnel into expert instructors for a system battle-tested in Ukraine. The class consisted of 20 students from Poland, Romania, and the U.S. None of the participants had previous experience with the system, and most had little to no military drone experience, underscoring the rapid, high-stakes nature of the training.

“This system is completely different than any other I have used,” said Sgt. Riley Hiner, an Avenger team leader with 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52d Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.

The 20-day curriculum spans from fundamental classroom instruction to complex, real-world deployment scenarios. It included: Classroom Learning: Detailed instruction on system architecture, operational theory, and maintenance; Practical Flight Learning: Hands-on experience with the system under various conditions; Night Operations: Training to ensure proficiency in low-light and adverse weather engagements; Live-Fire Attack: The course culminated with a final, critical exercise involving a live-fire attack on a drone target, validating the students’ ability to employ the system effectively.

“The learning curve on this is like a speed bump; slow and gradual. The classroom portion was a bit dry but as soon as we got our hands on the system, learning it was really easy,” said Hiner.

2nd Lt. Alexader Dieck, a platoon leader with 1-57 ADAR, 10th AAMDC, agreed with Hiner that his team quickly picked up the nuances of this system. Yet he likes that the training gave his Soldiers the ability to see what can go wrong if any of the check points are missed but this is allowing them to get better after every launch.

The system is an off-the-shelf type of system, which allows for the average Soldier to maintain and fix it when the right parts and tools are on-hand.

“Definitely I see these systems being operator level intuitive to be able to take apart. Some parts, probably 20 level [referring to maintenance experts]. In the field, I think if you an intelligent Soldier could easily take it apart and put it back together with new or used parts. We have been doing that out here, one drone goes down, we can take parts off it to use on another drone,” said Hiner.

Atkins said that hopefully in the future that the Army and NATO can get the designs to 3D print the broken part and get them back into service quicker.

With this being the first class, the success of the  training was immediately put on display during a Distinguished Visitor and Media Day event held at the conclusion of the course. The event drew over 20 media outlets and senior leaders from multiple NATO countries, offering unprecedented visibility into the new capabilities being integrated along the Eastern Flank.

The demonstration showcased the C-UAS system's operational readiness, culminating in a live-fire engagement. The system successfully demonstrated its ability to intercept and destroy drone threats, proving it could get close enough to neutralize large tactical reconnaissance and target acquisition drones. This validation confirmed the students' mastery of the system and provided compelling evidence that the effort is delivering a decisive counter-threat capability to the EFDL.

The newly qualified instructors will now form the backbone of their respective nations’ C-UAS programs. The Polish and Romanian trainers will return to their units to qualify operators for their current and future systems, directly strengthening the EFDL.

“My job is to take this knowledge and the knowledge my instructor gained back and help develop the curriculum which will start being taught to the rest of the force in the European theater,” said Atkins.

The swift execution of this course, largely due to the efforts and support of Polish authorities, is a crucial test case for the Army's and NATO Allies’ broader modernization goals. It highlights how they are changing their processes to rapidly field systems and meet emerging battlefield challenges.

“Innovation is not a one-time effort,” said Brig. Gen. Kurtis King, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command commanding general. “It takes consistent teamwork and trust among Allies. Our goal is to ensure every Soldier, system, effector and sensor contributes to the EFDL and enhances NATOs collective defense.”

This is the EFDL in action.

For more about the media day see:

NATO Allies demonstrate counter-UAS capability during live-fire demonstration in Poland