IRIA News

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U.S. and British troops collaborated in Poland at the Project Flytrap 4.0 to evaluate emerging technologies aimed at countering unmanned aerial systems (UAS) on the battlefield. The fourth round of Project Flytrap involved soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment and the British Army’s 1st Royal Yorkshire Regiment.

The exercise ran from July 27 to 31, 2025, at Bemowo Piskie Training Area near Ełk, Poland, and marked a key milestone in the Army’s broader transformation strategy to meet emerging aerial threats on the battlefield.

Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of V Corps, said that “U.S. and allied forces must rapidly transform to the very real threat of unmanned drones by testing, adjusting, and ultimately integrating the best C-UAS platforms in the world to protect our forces. Project Flytrap is a key component of V Corps’ transformation strategy.”

Joint participation and allied collaboration

Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment and the British Army’s 1st Royal Yorkshire Regiment took part in the exercises. The initiative also included over 40 organizations and 400 representatives from four countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and Australia.

The multi-phase project began in March 2025 and evolved through a series of experimental deployments. The first phase focused on research and historical analysis of drone warfare, particularly drawing from the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The second phase integrated tested systems into U.S. and U.K. formations. The third phase tested squad- and platoon-level tactics, while this final iteration scaled up to battalion-level exercises, simulating round-the-clock operations under real-world conditions.

“This pushed the realism factor even higher to maximize the quality of training and feedback,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Eric Bol, senior enlisted leader of the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

🚀 Defending against drone threats at #ProjectFlytrap 4.0! U.S. & U.K. Soldiers train with tech like the Terrestrial Layer System Manpack. U.S. Amb to NATO Matthew G. Whitaker also got a look at the latest counter-drone gear! #ThisisUSAREURAF #SwordOfFreedom #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/pMxm9Xb1XJ

— U.S. Army Europe and Africa (@USArmyEURAF) August 1, 2025

Layered defense and evolving doctrine

One of the key lessons from Project Flytrap is that no single system can fully counter the threat posed by drones. Instead, a layered, multi-system approach will be needed, according to Col. Donald Neal Jr., commander of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

“There’s no one system or one solution to counter-UAS,” Neal said. “The counter-UAS capability we’ll have in the future is going to have to be an integrated, multi-system solution.”

During the exercises, troops employed a variety of active and passive measures, from jamming technology and radio-frequency detection to kinetic responses such as small arms fire. Stryker infantry formations were equipped with wearable RF detection systems, while optical and acoustic sensors were also tested for drones that evade traditional detection platforms.

“If we flew the fiber optics, the RF detect systems we were using, they weren’t going to detect them,” said Col. Matthew Davis, V Corps transformation chief and exercise director. “We had to rely on acoustics or an optical, for example.”

Building and defeating drones in-house

Project Flytrap also emphasized troop training and technological adaptation at the unit level. Infantry soldiers underwent an intensive training course, building nearly 300 drones across a dozen models, including thermal-capable, jam-resistant, octocopter, and six-wing variants.

“We made sure those models represented each kind of capability you’d expect to see on the modern battlefield,” Davis said.

A dedicated drone production and training facility enabled soldiers to assemble components using 3D printers and learn to operate and defeat those systems in field scenarios. Some soldiers with science and engineering backgrounds, though serving under infantry designations, were identified and given greater responsibilities in drone development.

“It’s looking past the MOS and finding their hidden talents and then employing them to help us make these changes at the unit level,” said one V Corps leader.

“I don’t have a huge tech background. I’ve been amazed to see what this unit has been capable of,” said Bol. “I’ve watched Soldiers who have an aptitude dive into this and be extremely passionate about it. It’s fun to watch them learn how to build, break, and rebuild the drones in the same facility.”

Industry and combat synergy

A key feature of Flytrap was direct cooperation between Army units and private industry partners. In the field, company representatives worked side-by-side with troops to fix technical issues in real time, ranging from battery drainage to system compatibility across allied platforms.

“What we’re doing here, think of the convergence of industry, of Army agencies with counter-UAS things that have been around and some that are emerging, taking it out of the labs, putting it in the field with combat soldiers,” said Neal. “Think of a soldier operating a piece of equipment with the person from industry next to them. The soldier gives feedback on what would make it work smoother, they make that change, they test it out, and they iterate on it.”

This hands-on approach aligns with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s July 10 directive on “Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance,” which calls for strengthening domestic drone manufacturing, equipping forces with advanced tools, and incorporating drone operations into training.

Applying fundamentals to new domains

Despite the shift to advanced technologies, V Corps leaders emphasized that traditional combat fundamentals remain essential. “Dispersion, protection, fortification, collecting the correct routes, planning to an objective, they remain essential,” said Lt. Col. Jeremy Medaris, commander of 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment. “Some components are changing, but those fundamental pieces are still there and just as applicable to the counter-UAS fight as well.”

Medaris also stressed the importance of distinguishing between active and passive counter-drone tactics. Active responses often emit signatures that can compromise operational security, while passive systems may offer stealth advantages at the cost of limited reach or speed.

Data and battlefield decision-making

Another challenge highlighted during the exercises was managing the volume of data generated by C-UAS systems and ensuring the right decisions are made across echelons.

“At each echelon, you need the ability to handle that type of data on the systems we use to communicate with,” Neal said. “You have two options: you can do assault kills, which means you’re altering the flight path without a projectile in the air. Or a hard kill, which means you’re altering the flight path with projectiles. So, it’s neutralized or destroyed.”

Flytrap has also exposed a growing need for personnel trained in software, data management, and systems integration, particularly at the O-5 level and above.