Exercise Golden Shield integrated advanced sensors, kinetic and non-kinetic effectors, and command-and-control systems to create an autonomous, cohesive defence against small unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The effort was led by the 1st Cavalry Division in collaboration with Army DEVCOM and industry partners, with the aim of enhancing the protection of armoured vehicles and their crews while manoeuvring.
The exercise marked the first live demonstration of an autonomous sensor on one platform detecting and classifying a hostile drone, then transmitting data and an engagement command to an autonomous weapon system on a separate platform to destroy the target. The system links sensors and weapons on tactical vehicles to automatically detect, track and engage threats, significantly shortening the sensor-to-shooter timeline and reducing the cognitive burden on soldiers.
Alfred Grein, Executive Director for Research and Technology Integration at the U.S. Army Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center, described the exercise as the beginning of a broader protective framework. “The future is formation-based layered protection, and this is the start of that,” he said.
Grein also acknowledged the varying levels of maturity across the systems tested. “Some [of the systems] are more mature than others. But understand that’s part of why we do experiments to determine what we think is ready to hand-off to Soldiers in the field environment,” he added.
The Golden Shield system is built on a scalable, open architecture, layering a next-generation command-and-control system with various sensors, effectors and the Vehicle Protection System Base Kit. This architecture allows the defensive network to expand or contract based on mission requirements and to rapidly integrate new technologies as they become available.
Major Kevin Correa, the 1st Cavalry Division’s air and missile defense chief, outlined the next steps for the programme. “The intent is to take these systems we tested this week and begin to integrate them within our armored formations’ training,” he said. “In that way, we are able to fully exercise not only the systems, but the tanker’s ability to manage these systems while conducting their normal operations,” he added.
The insights and data gathered from Exercise Golden Shield will inform the Army’s decisions on how to implement the technology across its maneuver formations, supporting both the Pegasus Charge and Transforming in Contact initiatives. The exercise is described by the Army as a significant step forward in its modernisation efforts to ensure soldiers are equipped with advanced technology to maintain battlefield overmatch and enhance their lethality and survivability.
The 1st Cavalry Division is based at Fort Hood, Texas, and serves as a combined arms division tasked with transforming how armoured formations fight and win on the battlefield. It is one of the most decorated combat divisions in the history of the United States Army.
Source: U.S. Army.
