The US Department of Defense conducts drone tests in Alaska to promote innovations in electronic warfare and overcome regulatory and technological barriers.
The initiative, directed by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), aims to offer companies, especially smaller, real opportunities to test autonomous systems in simulated enemy environments. Projects such as GI and the Long-Range Strike Group were launched to accelerate the integration of new technologies into the armed forces and to facilitate the test process, which is often hindered by requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and operational restrictions to military base points.
Ukraine was originally considered an ideal test field due to its practical campaign experience. However, logistical difficulties and diplomatic tensions prevented official US support for these operations. Some well-financed American start-ups were still able to test equipment on the Ukrainian front. In the absence of practicable alternatives, Alaska was chosen as a domestic solution that offers cheaper airspace conditions and fewer disturbances, and more flexible tests possible.
In exercises by the 11th battalion for special inserts, it was found that many of the US systems used by the USA are out of date, have been used for more than twenty years and have been ineffective against modern threats. Nevertheless, the team managed to improve their performance in particular in scenarios with disorders of the GNSS signals.
However, this progress does not hide the technological deficit towards great powers such as China and Russia, which have invested more aggressive in accessible and effective solutions for the battlefield.
Those: Sputnik | Photo: x @usairforce | This content was created with the help of AI and checked by the editorial team
