US Army Integrates Virtual Drone Training for Infantry
The U.S. Army is now integrating virtual drone training into its basic infantry program at Fort Benning, signaling that counter-UAS proficiency is a baseline skill for all soldiers. This training initiative is part of a broader modernization push that also includes upgrading the AH-64E Apache helicopter fleet and operationalizing the Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) system to unify data and autonomy architectures across the force.
- The 10-hour virtual course for new infantry and armor trainees uses Virtual Battle Space 4 software and a Virtual Drone Collective Trainer (VDCT) plug-in. Its curriculum is modeled after the 75th Ranger Regiment's Ranger Robotics Lethality Course, advancing soldiers from basic controls to tactical reconnaissance and simulated kinetic strikes. - This initiative is part of a broader push at Fort Benning, which now also includes a three-week Robotic Autonomous Systems Leader Tactics (RASLT) course to train company commanders in planning offensive and defensive operations with robotic and autonomous systems. - While the Army expands UAS training, senior leaders have noted that fielding counter-UAS technology is "moving very slowly" in comparison, partially due to a less robust commercial industrial base for counter-drone systems. - To accelerate counter-drone capabilities, the Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office's (JCO) research and development budget received a fivefold increase in the fiscal year 2024 request to focus on directed energy and high-power microwave systems for defeating drone swarms. - The Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) system is being prototyped with the 4th Infantry Division, led by contractors Anduril and Palantir, and is designed to create a unified data architecture for commanders. The Army has budgeted for the first division to receive the full production NGC2 system in fiscal year 2027. - The AH-64E Apache upgrade, designated Version 6.5, first flew in October 2023 and includes software updates for optimized route and attack planning and an Open Systems Interface (OSI) to enable faster integration of new technologies like counter-UAS solutions. - The long-term modernization roadmap for the Apache aims to keep the platform operational into the 2060s, with future plans including the integration of the more powerful Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP).
