A SkyRaider drone equipped with a Claymore anti-personnel mine was selected for the tests. “In the skies above Fort Rucker, the first airborne destruction of an aircraft by an armed FPV drone in the history of the US Army was carried out,” the military said.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Nathan Shea piloted the SkyRaider, while Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Topits operated the unmanned aerial system of a simulated enemy during the air battle. The demonstration took place on the eve of the U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Summit.
After the Claymore detonated, the interceptor drone lost stability and communication was briefly interrupted, but restored a few seconds later. This showed that the SkyRaider from Aeryon Defense USA can be used as a reusable interceptor drone.
The platform has an open structure allowing the payload to be adapted for different tasks. This year, the U.S. military has been actively adopting experience from the Russian-Ukrainian war, including the development of a drone ammunition drop system for American units, tested at a training ground in Germany.
The munitions drop test is part of a large-scale modernisation initiative and pilot programme in the U.S. Army. Earlier, the U.S. Department of Defense officially included the new Skydio X10D quadcopter in the list of authorised UAVs, which is expected to become the main platform for the army’s drops.
