Op UNIFER and REASSURANCE improve their knowledge of counter-uncrewed aircraft systems in Poland

January 27, 2025 - Defence Stories

Estimated read time - 2:30

Operations UNIFIER and REASSURANCE came together with regional allies in South-East Poland to learn about air defence, focussing on counter-uncrewed aircraft system (C-UAS) technology from December 10-13, 2024.

The training was coordinated by Major Keir Calvert, an Op UNIFIER Liaison Officer. Speaking of the vision for the training, Major Calvert said, “The conflict in Ukraine and the emerging threat of UAS have highlighted the importance of cooperation between not only our Canadian units, but also between our partner nations. A defence against UAS requires integration across the board. This effort needs to start at the human level in order to achieve integration at the systems level. Whether it be our people or our systems, everything must seamlessly communicate and respond together to defend the skies. This is why we train with our partner nations.”

Hosted by United States Army’s 1st Cavalry Division Artillery, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Trent Huntsinger and his team provided a series of lectures and familiarization tours of air defence assets which provided a better understanding of the multitude of airborne threat vectors and the multi-tiered air defence systems required to effectively defend against them. Participants were familiarized with a variety of systems including the:

• MIM-104 Patriot;
• National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS);
• AN/TWQ-1 Avenger;
• FIM-92 Stinger man portable air defence system (MANPADS);
• Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS);
• Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN);
• Bal Chatri Counter small-UAS; and the
• Dronebuster C-UAS system.

The Op UNIFIER training elements have increasingly focused on preparing Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) trainees to operate in a UAS-contested environment. This means using drones to simulate threats during practical exercises, and providing drones to trainees to use for reconnaissance. This helps trainees better prepare for the realities they could face when they return to the front lines against the full-scale Russian invasion.

One observation made by members of Op UNIFIER’s Engineer Training Element (ETE) was the widespread use of thermal imaging on modern drones. A great discussion was had during the course regarding hiding thermal signatures to help avoid detection and targeting from enemy drones. Captain Eric Sherwood, Officer Commanding ETE, noted that “modern camouflage works well against the naked eye and other optical sensors but doesn’t allow troops to hide their heat signature from thermal imaging. Understanding how drones leverage infrared sensors will be incorporated into ETE training provided to AFU members, helping them survive these threats and ultimately enabling them to achieve their objectives.”