GRAFENWOEHR, Germany, — U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter crews destroyed three unmanned aircraft using targeting data from ground-based radar during Operation Skyfall II at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany on October 6. The exercise tested how air defense units and aviation crews can work together to detect, track and engage drones.
Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, part of the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, operated the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar to track Outlaw drones, low-cost unmanned aircraft used as training targets. The tracking data was sent to a tactical operations center, which provided target location information and vectors to the Apache crews. The helicopters then conducted air-to-air engagements and destroyed all three drones individually.
One Apache crew, flown by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jarrad Walter, with Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cody Schoonover serving as gunner, engaged the targets using the helicopter’s 30 mm cannon in short bursts. The aviation operations involved the 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade.
The Sentinel radar provides continuous low-altitude alerts and tracking information, helping helicopter crews receive earlier warnings and locate potential threats. “We’re sending the data of where the track is in time and space, so the Apache pilot knows exactly where the track is,” said Lt. Col. John Vermeil, commander of the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. He added that the tactical operations center can also provide a vector to help determine whether the target can be engaged.
Building on Project Flytrap
Operation Skyfall II is part of Project Flytrap, the U.S. Army’s broader modernization effort to develop counter-drone capabilities. It followed the first Operation Skyfall in March 2026, which demonstrated that Apache helicopters could pursue and engage drone targets. The second exercise expanded the concept by testing how crews could use targeting data supplied by ground-based sensors to locate and engage unmanned aircraft.
Supporting NATO Air Defense
The Army is continuing to refine the tactics, techniques and procedures for using helicopters against drones. The demonstration showed how sharing radar data between ground units and aviation crews could provide commanders with additional options for protecting military assets in contested airspace.
“What’s important about Skyfall is the integration with the air defenders and the protection warfighter function for NATO,” said Maj. Tyler Jamison, operations officer of the 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment. He added that the cooperation “has helped us operationalize what it means to destroy a drone.”
The 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade serves as the primary tactical air and missile defense integrator for U.S. Army Europe and Africa. Its mission includes joint and combined operations to counter air and missile threats and protect critical infrastructure and military assets across the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) areas of responsibility.
The Skyfall series supports the Army’s effort to integrate sensors and weapons more effectively, enabling air defense and aviation units to coordinate their response to unmanned threats.
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