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Marines drill with upgraded counter-drone system aboard warship off California

Business Insider reports that Marines practiced jamming hostile aerial systems from the USS Makin Island using upgraded tactical vehicles.

The short version

  • Members of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted counter-drone drills aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island off California.[Business Insider]
  • Troops operated an upgraded Light Marine Air-Defense Integrated System, which uses two tactical vehicles to identify and jam unmanned aircraft control links.[Business Insider]
  • The Marine Corps is expediting defensive equipment fielding after small attack drones demonstrated major vulnerabilities on modern battlefields.[Business Insider]

Key facts

  • Marines with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted counter-drone training aboard the USS Makin Island off the coast of California.[Business Insider]
  • The Light Marine Air-Defense Integrated System employs a pair of tactical vehicles equipped with sensors and electronic warfare tools to disrupt drone control signals.[Business Insider]
  • The training unit received an upgraded version of the system with lighter vehicles and updated jamming equipment two months prior to deployment preparations.[Business Insider]
  • Lt. Gen. Jay Bargeron stated that enabling squads, platoons, and companies to counter one-way attack drones addresses one of the service's primary capability gaps.[Business Insider]
  • The Marine Corps has accelerated fielding counter-drone hardware following observations of small drone usage in conflicts across Ukraine and the Middle East.[Business Insider]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.