At Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the XVIII Airborne Corps conducted Exercise Scarlet Dragon from September 11–17 to test how soldiers, military systems, and industry partners can counter the growing threat from unmanned aircraft. The exercise focused on integrating sensors, electronic warfare, command and control, artificial intelligence, resilient data networks, and defensive fires under realistic field conditions. The emphasis reflects lessons from the war in Ukraine, where Russia and Ukraine have increasingly relied on large-scale drone strikes and massed unmanned systems to attack military positions, infrastructure, and other targets. The exercise highlights the U.S. military’s efforts to adapt to a battlefield where drones can be deployed in large numbers and rapidly overwhelm or complicate traditional air-defense systems.

Scarlet Dragon exposed soldiers to battlefield scenarios involving large drone swarms of up to 100 aircraft, along with threats modeled on those seen in current conflicts. The exercise evaluated not only individual counter-UAS technologies but also how different systems could work together to detect, track, identify, and defeat drones. Army officials emphasized that no single sensor can handle the threat, making a layered approach essential.

The exercise also brought technology companies directly into field testing, allowing soldiers to evaluate emerging systems and provide feedback while developers observed how their technologies performed in realistic conditions. Capabilities tested included acoustic sensors, portable radar, autonomous systems, and other counter-drone technologies.

The XVIII Airborne Corps said the effort reflects a broader modernization approach in which the Army tests emerging capabilities, identifies gaps, and rapidly adapts before future conflicts. The goal is to integrate new autonomous technologies with existing systems and prepare soldiers for increasingly complex drone threats on future battlefields.