Photo By 1st Lt. Tam Le | U.S. Soldiers with the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine (JMTG-U), Task Force...... read more read more
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GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany – The week of June 30, the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine (JMTG-U) Mayor Cell engineer team built a mock tank replica to support unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators conducting reconnaissance and targeting drills for Ukrainian partner forces.
JMTG-U’s Mayor Cell provides engineering and logistical expertise to enhance interoperability and readiness across multiple exercises. Faced with a request for decoy armor, the team gathered lumber, tools and determination to produce lifelike targets at minimal cost.
Spc. Sierra Boughton, a horizontal construction engineer, 12N, with the 278th Engineer Company, said she was initially unsure how to tackle the task until Staff Sgt. Justin Erickson, Mayor Cell operations NCO, provided detailed cut lists.
“It was a steep learning curve,” Boughton said, “but the team’s support made it manageable.” Senior leaders praised the outcome when photos arrived.
Specialist Kevin Angel, a carpentry and masonry specialist, 12W, with JMTG-U Mayor Cell, said the build evolved organically.
“We had the materials and tools on hand, so we sketched a rectangular shell, then added a turret,” Angel said. “Everybody chipped in—measuring, cutting, assembling—until the tank took shape.”
Angel said seeing the finished prop made him feel “resourceful” and underscored the role of engineers as “the tip of the spear.”
Spc Andrew Tucker, a horizontal construction engineer, 12N, with the 278th Engineer Company, credited 2D schematics and field-expedient ingenuity.
“We started with flat drawings that looked like sailboats,” Tucker said. “With a bit of math and some creative problem-solving, we added scale details—manhole covers, access panels—so UAV crews would get realistic practice.”
The mock tank served as static target for UAV pilots practicing surveillance and target-acquisition runs. Command officials say the initiative adds realism to training and strengthens the skills of remote-piloted aircraft crews supporting future warfare. For Boughton, Angel, and Tucker contributing to the next generation of drone operators carries special meaning.
“Any help we can give is the least we could do,” Boughton said.
| Date Taken: | 06.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2025 11:04 |
| Story ID: | 542296 |
| Location: | GRAFENWOEHR, BAYERN, DE |
| Web Views: | 186 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Engineers Build Mock Tanks to Boost UAV Training, by 1LT Tam Le, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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