Photo By John Hamilton | Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commanding general of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence...... read more read more
FORT RUCKER, Ala. — The Army’s Unmanned Aerial Systems and Launched Effects Summit closed Aug. 15 after five days of presentations, discussions, live demonstrations, and collaboration aimed at accelerating the development and integration of unmanned systems across the force.
Held Aug. 11–15 at Fort Rucker, the summit brought together senior Army leaders, Soldiers, and industry representatives to address the future of UAS and the policy changes enabling faster acquisition and deployment of drones for units at the brigade level and below. The event highlighted not only emerging capabilities, but also the challenges posed by adversaries who are developing and advancing their own unmanned systems.
Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commanding general of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence (AVCOE) and Fort Rucker, closed the week by stressing the importance of speed and innovation. “This is about taking a capability and giving it to the Soldiers and letting them innovate… that’s how all the best ideas happen,” Gill said. “Gone are the days where it requires exquisite piloting to operate (a UAS).”
Throughout the week, attendees heard briefings on U.S. allies actively employing drones in combat, presentations from technology experts on emerging capabilities, and updates on counter-UAS systems. Panels examined lessons learned from current conflicts, where unmanned systems are being deployed and reshaping battlefield tactics. “Much as the rest of the world watched us during the Global War on Terror to learn what we were doing, now we’re looking at Ukraine,” Gill said.
The summit took to Fort Rucker’s ranges Aug. 13, when system developers and industry partners exhibited both fielded and in-development systems. Soldiers and industry personnel conducted a live demonstration of lethal UAS, showing drones armed with bomb and grenade dropping systems, 12-gauge shotguns, 40mm grenade launchers, and various explosive payloads. First-person-view (FPV) drones were demonstrated destroying moving ground vehicles and intercepting other drones mid-flight.
“This was the opportunity to see the art of the possible… and the best of industry, and to take that across the street and put it in the hands of the Soldiers was great,” Gill said.
Looking ahead, commanders at brigade level and below will soon have access to a secure online storefront to purchase drones for experimentation, training, and operational use. The intent is to empower units to develop their own tactics and discover novel applications for unmanned systems in support of their missions.
“We want to give the commanders a lot of risk authority; let the commanders fly these systems in their area,” said Col. Nicholas Ryan, director for the Army Capabilities Manager - UAS.
Fort Rucker is conducting the first iteration of the Army’s new lethal operator course, which trains Soldiers in the use of armed small UAS. “Almost every division and [Army National Guard and Special Operations Command] has folks here at our course, and they are going to leave here as lethal operators that can go back out and train their units,” Gill said.
The course is being developed with the objective of becoming like other Army specialty programs such as Air Assault School, with the goal of standardizing instruction and enabling expansion to other installations. “The idea is that we can export it,” Gill said. “So now we’re running Air Assault School; we’ve got a standardized block of instruction, here’s what you need, here’s the equipment you have to buy, here’s the ranges, capabilities, and limitations you’re going to have, here’s the prerequisites to bring people in, and what you’re going to train them on. So you’ll see that lethal operator course probably at the Fires Center, the Maneuver Center, and probably anywhere else (the Army) thinks it’s appropriate.”
Ryan said Fort Rucker is uniquely positioned to support UAS advancement because it combines experienced personnel, available airspace, and the necessary approvals to conduct complex and realistic training and evaluation. He envisions the post as a location where industry can bring new capabilities to put directly in Soldiers’ hands for operational feedback.
“We have the experts here, we have (U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command) here, and now we have the range and approvals to do it. So our intent, working with industry, is: use us, come to (Fort Rucker) as a location and a site if you want to test out a new drone or a new capability, or something lethal. Come to us, we’ve got the airspace, we’ve got the range, and we’ve got the people here,” said Ryan
Col. Joshua Ruisanchez, director of the Army Aviation Capabilities and Integration Directorate, urged continued collaboration between the Army and industry. “When you think ‘who’s moving fast?’ well that’s definitely industry. So let’s keep that going,” he said.
Over the next six months, Ruisanchez said, the focus will be on three critical areas: AI integration, the development of a universal drone controller, and the continued refinement of the drones themselves. “The Maneuver Center will ensure that every Soldier touches the drone… and they get the training that’s needed to be able to operate,” he said. “We see this almost like a basic training task like chemical gear. How do you protect yourself against a drone, and how do you employ the drone.”
Gill said AVCOE will serve as the Army’s central proponent for UAS, ensuring a unified approach to fielding, training, and operational integration. “It needs to be centralized, one proponent to bring it all in and push it all out… one ‘who do you need to talk to,’” he said.
As the summit closed, Gill thanked the participants for their contributions and urged them to maintain momentum. “I think the word got out, and thanks to everyone working the summit,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 08.15.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.15.2025 18:14 |
| Story ID: | 545775 |
| Location: | ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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