Washington, Oct 17 (IANS) The US Army has announced a new initiative to accelerate the testing and deployment of counter-drone technology in Africa, seeking to deliver operational capabilities to soldiers within 180 days of identifying urgent requirements.
The US Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, is partnering with the Army’s Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate to test emerging unmanned aircraft and counter-drone systems under a faster procurement process.
The Pentagon announced Friday that the first accelerated capability event was scheduled for spring 2027 in Tan-Tan, Morocco.
The event will focus on protecting military command posts and operating locations against threats posed by small unmanned aircraft.
According to the Army, the initiative is designed to address capability gaps identified by commanders operating in the field.
The programme seeks to reduce the time between identifying a requirement, testing potential solutions and providing equipment to military personnel.
The Army said Africa offered conditions particularly suitable for testing emerging drone technologies.
These include relatively uncongested airspace, varied terrain and electromagnetic environments that differ from conventional training ranges in the United States and Europe.
The initiative will allow soldiers to evaluate systems under operationally relevant conditions before the Army considers broader deployment.
The Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate operates under the Army Pathway for Innovation and Technology Office.
Its personnel work alongside Army commands to convert operational requirements into acquisition programmes.
The directorate already has teams supporting American military commands responsible for Europe and Africa, the Pacific and Central Asia.
Army Colonel Christopher Hill, director of the acquisition organisation, said commanders had traditionally faced difficulties obtaining the resources and authorities necessary to address urgent technological requirements.
The new structure is intended to provide access to acquisition expertise and research, development, testing and evaluation resources closer to operational units.
The Army said the partnership would use a three-phase model involving initial submissions and preparation, soldier-led demonstrations and subsequent operational evaluation.
The process is intended to identify promising technologies, assess their performance and accelerate their delivery.
The initiative reflects the growing importance of counter-drone capabilities in modern military operations.
–IANS
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