US Army’s AH-64 Apaches, cued by Sentinel radar, down three drones in air-to-air test

What happened

Held at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, the demonstration tested the full sequence from first detection of an unmanned aircraft to its destruction, with soldiers from air defense and aviation units working as one team. A ground radar spotted the threats, and Apache helicopters destroyed them.

Army air defenders and aviators in Germany took out three target drones on Oct. 6 during Operation Skyfall II, an exercise aimed at tightening the link between the two communities.

How handoff worked Air defenders used the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar to track Outlaw unmanned aircraft, low-cost drones that served as training targets. The track data went to a tactical operations center, which relayed it to Apache crews .

Key facts

• Held at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, the demonstration — tested: the full sequence from first detection of an unmanned aircraft to its destruction, with soldiers from air defense and aviation units working as one team