The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command supported the Drone Dominance Program’s Gauntlet 2 at Fort Carson, Colorado, from Aug. 16 through Sept. 5, 2026. AMCOM Safety engineers joined Army, Navy and industry partners to evaluate weaponized small unmanned aircraft systems and their lethality payloads during long-range strike and tactical-assault missions in confined environments.
The evaluation included about 40 Group 1 unmanned aircraft systems from 19 drone vendors and five payload vendors. AMCOM Safety provided aviation expertise to the joint safety effort, reviewing aircraft performance, payload integration and safeguards designed to reduce risk.
“While the operations teams were focused on performance, the safety team was focused on mitigations we could see during the tests,” said Kira Thomas, AMCOM Safety’s software system safety lead. Engineers observed communication between operators, radio-frequency links and mission displays during long-range strike missions. In buildings and tunnels, they assessed navigation, obstacle avoidance, operator workload and video-feed reliability.
At the live-payload test lane, known as the Kinetic Lane, the team reviewed payload preparation, installation, aircraft handling and controls intended to prevent unintended detonation or missed targets.
“To be successful in the mission, you need both the drone to be successful in delivering the payload and the payload to be performing its role,” said Dr. Laurence Mutuel, acting director of AMCOM’s Safety Office.
To keep pace with the program, the team used an iterative review process. Engineers developed initial hazard analyses using available information, identified gaps and refined their assessments as vendors provided more data and the team observed systems in use.
Gauntlet 2 was a major milestone, but it was not the end of the safety effort. After the Army identifies systems for large-scale production, the joint Army-Navy safety team will address assessment gaps, gather additional test data and develop safety cases for joint-board review and risk decisions at the appropriate level.
Mutuel said AMCOM’s aviation background helps ensure speed does not displace engineering rigor by identifying efficiencies that accelerate fielding without compromising safety. “It’s through that in-depth knowledge that efficiencies will be identified that will not compromise safety,” she said.
| Date Taken: |
09.11.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
09.11.2026 13:52 |
| Story ID: |
574452 |
| Location: |
FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: |
15 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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This work, AMCOM Safety supports Gauntlet 2 drone evaluation at Fort Carson, by Richelle Brown, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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