US Army’s AH-64 Apaches, cued by Sentinel radar, down three drones in air-to-air test

A ground radar spotted the threats, and Apache helicopters destroyed them. That is how U.S. Army air defenders and aviators in Germany took out three target drones on Oct. 6 during Operation Skyfall II, an exercise aimed at tightening the link between the two communities.

Held at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, the demonstration tested the full sequence from first detection of an unmanned aircraft to its destruction, with soldiers from air defense and aviation units working as one team.

How handoff worked

Air defenders used the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar to track Outlaw unmanned aircraft, low-cost drones that served as training targets. The track data went to a tactical operations center, which relayed it to Apache crews. The aviators then flew air-to-air engagements and took down each drone one by one.

The Army said the Sentinel’s ability to pick up threats at greater distances buys Apache crews earlier warning, along with the information needed to engage. The radar delivers continuous alerts and tracking for low-altitude targets.

Lt. Col. John Vermeil, who commands the participating air defense battalion, said the data tells the Apache pilot “exactly where the track is” in time and space. The operations center sees the same picture, he said, and can supply a vector to judge whether an engagement is possible.

Building on March

The exercise followed the first Operation Skyfall in March, which showed that Apaches could track and engage drones using sensor data from the ground. The second iteration expanded the opportunities for crews to find, engage and destroy unmanned aircraft.

Taking part were the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, from the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, and the 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, part of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade.

A shared learning curve

Maj. Tyler Jamison, operations officer for the aviation battalion, said the partnership has helped his unit “operationalize what it means to destroy a drone.” He described the value of Skyfall as the integration with air defenders and the protection role it serves for NATO.

The Army says its tactics, techniques and procedures for finding and engaging drones are still being worked out. What Skyfall II offers, it said, is a way for ground-based air defense and aviation assets together to give commanders more defensive-fire choices in contested conditions across Europe and Africa.

The 52nd Brigade acts as the tactical air and missile defense integrator for U.S. Army Europe and Africa. When ordered, it carries out joint and combined operations to protect critical assets against air and missile threats in the areas overseen by U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command.