What's harder to shoot down than a small drone in the sky? Students at the War Department's only joint training center for countering aerial threats will likely say it's what they practice on — balloons attached to those small drones.
Drones can fly at racecar speeds, making them difficult targets to hit by an individual on the ground. At the Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft System University, located at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, students use handheld smart devices to help them increase their probability of scoring a hit.
Known as the Dronebuster and Smart Shooter, these two handheld systems work in tandem as a layered defense that uses electronic and kinetic warfare to do the hard work for the shooter.
Students who attend JCU learn about various drones and the intricate service-specific systems used to engage with them. The Dronebuster and Smart Shooter, however, are two of the few used by service members on the ground, such as patrol members or personnel guarding installation towers.
So, how do these tandem devices work?
When service members are warned of a drone presence, the Dronebuster can be held up like a weapon to scan the area. Once it identifies a hostile target, the service member simply presses a button on the device to disrupt the target using electronic warfare.
"It'll start jamming the command and controls, severing that connection between the drone and the operator," explained JCU operator's course instructor Paul Bliefernich.
The drone remains frozen in the air. That's when a second operator picks up the Smart Shooter, an optic system that attaches to a weapon to control how it fires.
"Typically, when you pull the trigger, you're used to a gun going 'bang.' [The Smart Shooter] doesn't do that," explained JCU operator's course supervisor Fred Hill. "It calculates, and then it shoots when it's ready to shoot."
"When [shooters] get to the target they want, they'll hit the 'lock' button … and start squeezing the trigger," Bliefernich explained. However, the weapon doesn't immediately fire. Instead, its computer takes over and displays a set of crosshairs in the scope that the operator aligns with the target. When the computer decides there's a good probability of a hit, it sends a command to the pistol grip, allowing the operator to complete the trigger pull and fire the weapon.
Bliefernich said it can take from a few seconds up to two minutes. "It's doing calculations and taking a lot into consideration," he added.
Since shooting down several drones per class isn't cost-effective, JCU students mostly shoot balloons attached to drones. It's a more challenging target, but with practice, it can make them a better shot.
"The balloons are harder to shoot than the drone," Hill said. "Once the shooter gets toward the end of the training, we'll put up the aircraft and let them shoot at the aircraft."
"It takes a lot of time and practice," Bliefernich said.
The students are also able to train on the Smart Shooter in the virtual reality lab beforehand, which instructors said is both cost-effective and safer.
"It's getting the soldiers, airmen and sailors familiar with the equipment before they ever come and start shooting on the ground," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Alan Buhl, JCU instructor.
The school teaches soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines much more than just how to operate handheld drone equipment. Students also learn how to use various fixed-site counter-small UAS systems, as well as how to plan strategies, train others and better prepare their installations for future threats.
Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft System University became operational in 2023. Fort Sill is home to the Army Field Artillery School, the Army Air Defense Artillery School, the 75th Fires Brigade and the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, all of which have nurtured counter-small UAS strategies since the threat first emerged.