U.S. Army drone-killing system tested in India

U.S. Army soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division took a mobile counter-drone system to India’s Rajasthan desert during exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026, showing Indian Army troops how it finds and defeats small drones.

The system, the Mobile Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System, or M-LIDS, was set up at the Mahajan Field Firing Range. U.S. soldiers operated it throughout. Indian Army personnel were shown its external components and discussed counter-drone tactics with their U.S. counterparts but did not operate the system, the U.S. Army said.

M-LIDS is a set of sensors, command software and weapons mounted on mobile tactical vehicles. A Ku-band radar and electro-optical and infrared cameras detect, track and identify incoming drones. The Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control system combines that sensor data into one air picture. Crews can then choose between electronic warfare to jam a drone or kinetic weapons to shoot it down.

During the exercise, soldiers practiced setting up the system quickly and moving from spotting a drone to choosing a response. Because it rides on vehicles, M-LIDS can move with the troops it protects. The Army said the Rajasthan heat, dust and heat shimmer tested both personnel and equipment.

“Defeating the small UAS threat is not a single-nation fight; it requires interoperable forces that can share information, integrate capabilities, and act as one,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mark Giauque, the division’s air and missile defense systems integrator.

Yudh Abhyas is an annual exercise between the U.S. and Indian armies. The 2026 edition, the 22nd, opened Sept. 15 and brings together about 600 soldiers from each side. It is running at two sites at once: the Mahajan range in Rajasthan and the Auli training area in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. U.S. forces come from the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska. The exercise is scheduled to end Sept. 28.

Elsewhere at Mahajan, U.S. and Indian artillery crews trained together on the M777 lightweight howitzer, including live fire, rapid moves to alternate positions and “shoot-and-scoot” drills to avoid counter-battery fire. The Army said U.S. and Indian gunners served together in combined M777 crews, while other units rehearsed aviation, maneuver, medical and force protection tasks.