101st Airborne Division conducts test of new drone technology

The 101st Airborne Division Air Assault on Fort Campbell is known for being unmatched when it comes to innovation, and that held true recently, as new unmanned aircraft technology was tested at the base.

The exercise tested the regiment ability to integrate new systems and support ground forces, and it was put to the test during a live-fire exercise on March 12. The division utilized UAS operators from its 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team, and 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, to fly multiple UAS, alongside 5th Special Forces Group.

Successfully done, the exercise validated the division’s ability to operate UAS in a chaotic setting. This successful pairing of systems and Soldiers ensures the 101st Airborne Division remains at the forefront of Army transformation efforts.

Brigadier General Travis McIntosh says, “We are no strangers to innovation here on Fort Campbell. Drones are reshaping the geometry of the battlefield in real time and we must adjust. Distance and sanctuary no longer provide the protection they once did, and mass and speed of decision-making will increasingly be enabled by autonomy and AI. This event tested and proved these assumptions for us."