Staff Sgt. Eric Navarro and his team from the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany finished as the top American team in the inaugural US Army Europe and Africa Best Drone Warfighter Competition at Grafenwoehr Training Area. Over three days, ten teams—including NATO allies Spain and Italy—competed in written exams, obstacle courses, and simulated combat missions using a variety of drones. Navarro’s squad demonstrated skill in launching drones from cover, navigating obstacles, and coordinating precision strikes, reflecting the Army’s growing focus on drone warfare in its Transforming in Contact initiative. The Spanish team won the overall competition, while Navarro’s team will advance to the Army’s top competition in Alabama, reports Matthew M. Burke of Stars and Stripes. Burke writes:
Staff Sgt. Eric Navarro and three teammates quietly crept through the undergrowth at a vast Army training ground in rural Bavaria until they found a small gap in the forest canopy to send their Vesper one-way attack drone aloft.
The quadcopter whirred toward a shipping container town Wednesday in the Grafenwoehr Training Area, which was hosting the inaugural U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Drone Warfighter Competition.
After identifying several mannequin targets, Navarro’s team piloted the aircraft through a window at just the precise moment and into a net next to a mannequin sitting at a desk, simulating a strike. […]
Sponsored by the 7th Army Training Command, the competition featured 10 teams from across the region, including rotational units from Poland and NATO allies Italy and Spain. […]
Their competition events included written exams, a drone obstacle course and real-world application. All the teams brought different drone platforms.
Navarro’s Vesper weighs just over a pound and can remain airborne for up to 50 minutes, according to the manufacturer’s website. The aircraft can reach speeds up to 45 mph and travel up to 28 miles. […]
“It highlights where different teams are at in comparison to their partners or their peers, and it shows either shortcomings or strengths that they have to either remedy or emphasize,” he said. “It also gives them an example of what a tactical battle space could have in store for them so that they can prepare for it back at home station.”
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