The American arms manufacturer SAIC tests experimental anti-drone weapons in Ukraine.
Defense One disclosed this in an article.
According to representatives of government contracting company SAIC, the United States is sending an experimental platform and ammunition to fight off unmanned aerial vehicles. The newly developed system is meant to help Ukraine down Iranian-made drones.
On April 4, the U.S. announced a large package of defense aid to Ukraine, which includes equipment and weapons focused on air defense and notably "1010 mobile anti-drone laser-guided rocket systems." This aid package included new systems developed to fight off unmanned aerial vehicles.
This January, the U.S. Army held a competition to find an effective system for fighting off attacks that use multiple munitions.
A company representative said at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Global Force Symposium last week that SAIC, which had participated in the competition, was in the running to send ten of the platforms to Ukraine. These platforms were designed to help fight unmanned aerial vehicles used by the Russian army, including the Shahed-136 loitering munitions, which are targeting Ukrainian Armed Forces and civilian infrastructure.
Although Ukraine has shot down many of the Iranian-made drones, they still cost about $20,000 apiece, while the Armed Forces of Ukraine are sometimes forced to use much more expensive air defense missiles to do so.
Invariant Systems and the U.S. Army did not confirm that the experimental systems were meant to be provided to Ukraine. However, they confirmed other details that support SAIC’s statements. The system also includes a M240 machine-gun mount and an electronic warfare system that can take control of a commercial drone, including any DJI-brand system.
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