TAMPA, Fla. — Over 500 Chinese drones confiscated by Florida authorities will be repurposed for military target practice by the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) at a training event from December 4-6 at Camp Blanding.
Over three days, quadcopter drones will be shot down with shotguns to train elite U.S. troops in counter-drone tactics. This event, called the Military Drone Crucible, is designed to prepare troops for situations involving enemy drones.
According to Bloomberg News, Nate Ecelbarger, President of the U.S. National Drone Association (USNDA), stated, “It will be the largest counter-drone destruction event ever held in the United States.”
The Military Drone Crucible includes training sessions on clearing rooms with enemy troops and targeting enemy convoys.
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