US Navy Tests Counter-UAS Capabilities Aboard Warships

By Mike Ball / 26 Sep 2016

Smart Sourcing for Unmanned Systems

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow UST

US Navy counter-UAS tests

The U.S. Navy has announced that it has tested counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) capabilities aboard guided-missile destroyers USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) and USS Lassen (DDG 82) during exercise Black Dart off the coast of Destin, Florida.

The exercise provides a venue where participants from industry, government and operational forces can bring different systems together, share awareness of the latest developments in C-UAS capabilities, and train, evaluate and improve upon current systems.

“We got a lot of work accomplished yesterday validating and experimenting with new systems that we have,” said Cmdr. Kevin Hoffman, Jason Dunham’s commanding officer. “Overall, the communication across all the Department of Defense agencies and different entities that we have here has been great. We have the opportunity to employ some systems that we have not tested before, so it’s a great experience for not only the ship, but the outside operators as well.”

Black Dart scenarios provided a realistic training environment for both Jason Dunham and Lassen to track UASs launched from Eglin, Air Force Base. In the initial scenarios, routes of the UASs were known to all operators, which allowed all systems, linked operators and sensors the ability to verify system settings and operator procedures. In advanced scenarios, routes of UASs were unknown, which increased the realistic aspect of the training.

“The goal here is to test our organic sensors radar systems, camera systems and interface with the shore side [operators] who are testing systems for the same purpose,” said Lt. Cmdr. Carl Poe, the combat systems officer aboard Jason Dunham. “We want to communicate and coordinate to expand our battlespace and reduce reaction time we have from detection to engagement of these UASs.”

Air Force cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy operated UASs from Jason Dunham’s rigid hull inflatable boat about two nautical miles away from Jason Dunham, providing an opportunity for the cadets to test the UASs in a maritime environment and allowing Jason Dunham opportunities to test sensor and tracking systems from different ranges and elevations.

“Great job to the Air Force cadets with their first time operating a quad-copter in an at sea environment, and landing it in a two-foot by two-foot space,” said Hoffman. “It allowed us to test our detection capabilities, and evaluate our tactics, techniques and procedures, which is what Black Dart is allowing us to focus on.”

Exercise Black Dart is planned, coordinated and overseen by the DoD’s Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense Organization and is sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The exercise is fully nested within the Chairman’s Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense Vision 2020.

Posted by Mike Ball Mike Ball is our resident technical editor here at Unmanned Systems Technology. Combining his passion for teaching, advanced engineering and all things unmanned, Mike keeps a watchful eye over everything related to the unmanned technical sector. With over 10 years’ experience in the unmanned field and a degree in engineering, Mike’s been heading up our technical team here for the last 8 years. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Who to see at Xponential 2025

UnmannedSystemsTechnology.com are thrilled to be working with so many companies attending AUVSI's Xponential this year...

May 12, 2025
GuideNav: Top MEMS IMUs for UAV Flight Control

GuideNav examines MEMS IMU selection for UAV control, comparing accuracy bands and performance levels across consumer, industrial, and military-grade applications

May 12, 2025
Aurora Flight Sciences Advances sUAS Range with New Upgrades

Aurora Flight Sciences has enhanced its SKIRON-X sUAS range to improve flight performance and simplify operation

May 12, 2025
ATL Fuel Bladders for Unmanned Systems to Feature at XPO25

Aero Tec Laboratories (ATL) will present its latest fuel bladder technologies for unmanned systems at XPONENTIAL 2025, highlighting solutions for air, land, and sea

May 12, 2025
uAvionix Unveils Wearable ADS-B Receiver for UAS Operations

uAvionix announces skyAlert, a rugged, wearable ADS-B receiver purpose-built for professional UAS pilots and their visual observers

May 12, 2025
ParaZero Secures European Order for Drone Parachute Safety System

ParaZero receives a significant European order for its SafeAir™ M4 system, highlighting rising demand for advanced drone safety solutions in high-regulation markets

May 12, 2025

Featured Content

New Tactical Grade IMU from Inertial Labs for UAVs & Guided Munitions

Inertial Labs has launched the IMU-H100, a compact, tactical-grade MEMS IMU designed to enhance precision navigation for UAVs and guided systems

May 08, 2025
Geolocation in GPS-Denied Environments Successfully Demonstrated

Trillium Engineering's GD-Loc, integrated with the HD55-MV gimbal on a Group 2 UAS, has successfully demonstrated sustained Category 1 geolocation accuracy within six meters, highlighting its critical advantage for precise ISR missions in GPS-denied environments

May 06, 2025
Spexi + LayerDrone: A New Era of Aerial Intelligence

Imagine a real-time, crowd-sourced map of Earth. Spexi, powered by LayerDrone, pays drone pilots to capture ultra-detailed imagery, offering organizations data that’s faster, cheaper, and more precise than traditional methods

Apr 29, 2025
Advancing Unmanned Systems Through Strategic Collaboration UST works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive unmanned systems capabilities forward.