U.S. Army tests Sling Blade counter-drone system

EOS Defence Systems USA demonstrated its Sling Blade counter-drone system during the U.S. Army’s Summit Strike live fire exercise, conducted by the 10th Mountain Division. The combined arms exercise focused on the planning and integration of emerging technologies within a contested, large-scale combat environment, drawing together multinational forces and industry participants to coordinate effects across multiple domains.

Sling Blade formed part of a two-hour live fire activity that placed the counter-drone system alongside field artillery, Apache attack helicopters, electronic warfare assets, and uncrewed ground vehicles. That lineup underscores the exercise’s intent: not to test any single system in isolation, but to stress-test how counter-drone capability integrates and functions within a broader, layered system-of-systems environment — the kind of combined arms picture the Army expects to face in a high-end fight.

The Sling Blade system itself integrates several distinct components into a single closed-loop counter-drone solution. At its core is EOS’ Slinger counter-drone remote weapon system, paired with a 30mm cannon, a four-pack launcher for Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rockets — known as APKWS — and an SRC radar. The radar component is particularly significant: it enables the system to generate firing solutions against drone threats autonomously, closing the engagement loop from detection through to intercept without requiring the operator to manually hand off between sensor and shooter. EOS Defence Systems USA has been under contract with the U.S. Army DEVCOM Armaments Center for the past year specifically to support Sling Blade’s development, including that radar integration work.

The APKWS rocket is a laser-guided weapon adapted from unguided 70mm rockets already in wide military use, giving Sling Blade a precision standoff punch against targets that a cannon alone might struggle to reliably engage at range or altitude. The 30mm cannon, meanwhile, provides high-rate-of-fire coverage against threats that close to shorter distances. Together, the layered effector approach gives operators options depending on the drone’s size, speed, and engagement geometry — a meaningful advantage given the diversity of unmanned aerial threats now appearing on modern battlefields.

Counter-drone capability has moved from a niche requirement to a central Army modernization priority over the past several years, driven by the proliferation of commercial and military drones across virtually every conflict environment. Ukraine has demonstrated in stark terms what happens when ground forces lack adequate protection against even small, inexpensive drones — and the Army has accelerated its pursuit of layered, mobile counter-UAS solutions capable of operating alongside maneuver forces rather than only protecting fixed sites.

The 10th Mountain Division’s role as the host unit for Summit Strike reflects the Army’s broader push to validate emerging technologies through operational units rather than purely laboratory or test range environments. Getting systems like Sling Blade in front of active division-level formations — and running them through a combined arms live fire rather than a controlled demonstration — generates the kind of operationally relevant data that feeds procurement decisions.

EOS confirmed that further trials with the 10th Mountain Division are planned, with additional operational assessments expected to follow. Critically, multiple Department of War organizations are currently evaluating Sling Blade for potential procurement — a signal that the Summit Strike performance will feed into formal acquisition consideration across more than one program office.