U.S. Army Trains with Drone Buster Anti-Drone Weapons Near Russia Border in Lithuania.

U.S. Army soldiers deployed near Russia’s and Belarus’s borders trained with Drone Buster anti-drone weapons in Lithuania on May 22, 2026, as the U.S. Army sharpens defenses against the drone threats that have transformed combat in Ukraine. The exercise at the Pabradė Training Area reflects NATO’s growing push to protect frontline forces, artillery units, and military infrastructure from the kind of low-cost Russian drone attacks now defining modern warfare along the alliance’s eastern flank.

The training placed American soldiers in simulated drone strike scenarios targeting troop concentrations and combat positions, underscoring how counter-UAS systems are becoming critical for battlefield survivability. As Russia expands the use of reconnaissance and attack drones near NATO territory, rapid-response anti-drone capabilities are emerging as a key element of deterrence and high-intensity warfare preparation in Eastern Europe.

Related Topic: U.S. Army Tests IonStrike Counter Drone Interceptor to Defend Europe Against Swarm Attacks

U.S. Army Cpl. Aaron Goolsby, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Division, operates a Drone Buster counter-unmanned aerial systems device during counter-UAS training at the Pabradė Training Area in Lithuania on May 22, 2026. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War/Defense)

During this military training exercise, soldiers assigned to Bravo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Division, used the Drone Buster handheld counter-unmanned aerial systems device to engage a simulated hostile aerial target. The training reflects how NATO forces are rapidly adapting to the drone warfare environment exposed in Ukraine, where Russian reconnaissance drones, FPV attack systems, and loitering munitions have transformed frontline combat and made even rear-area facilities vulnerable to precision strikes.

The exercise involved soldiers from multiple U.S. Army units operating under V Corps, the Army’s only forward-deployed corps headquarters in Europe. V Corps is leading efforts to expand NATO’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Line while integrating combat-tested anti-drone technologies into tactical planning and force protection operations. The command’s increasing focus on counter-UAS warfare mirrors battlefield lessons from Ukraine, where low-cost drones now routinely identify artillery positions, direct missile strikes, and conduct kamikaze attacks against armored vehicles and logistics hubs.

The Drone Buster system has become part of a growing category of portable electronic warfare weapons designed to defeat small unmanned aerial vehicles without using missiles or conventional gunfire. Manufactured by Flex Force Enterprises, the handheld system uses directional radio-frequency disruption to jam communication links between drones and their operators. Depending on the target type and operational conditions, the system can interfere with GPS signals and command frequencies at ranges reportedly exceeding several hundred meters, forcing drones to land, hover, or return to their launch point.

The operational relevance of such systems has increased dramatically since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. Russian Orlan-10 reconnaissance drones, Lancet loitering munitions, and commercially modified quadcopters have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to expose troop positions and guide artillery strikes within minutes. Similar attack profiles have also emerged in the Middle East, where Iranian-backed groups have used low-cost drones against military bases, radar systems, and critical infrastructure. These developments have forced the U.S. Army to accelerate procurement of mobile counter-drone capabilities suitable for both frontline combat units and installation defense.

At Pabradė, the training emphasized rapid threat detection and engagement during simulated base-defense operations. Soldiers practiced identifying hostile aerial systems approaching defensive perimeters and responding with portable electronic attack equipment before the drones could transmit targeting data or conduct strikes. Such scenarios increasingly reflect real battlefield conditions where drone attacks may occur with little warning and from multiple directions simultaneously.

The inclusion of artillery personnel in the exercise is especially significant. Artillery units have become priority targets in Ukraine because drones can quickly detect firing positions and relay coordinates for counterbattery fire. Russian and Ukrainian forces alike now rely heavily on unmanned systems to shorten kill chains between detection and strike. By equipping artillery formations with portable anti-drone systems, the U.S. Army aims to improve survivability during high-intensity operations against technologically capable adversaries.

The Drone Buster’s compact configuration allows troops to carry it on patrols or deploy it rapidly around command posts, ammunition storage sites, and artillery batteries. Unlike larger vehicle-mounted electronic warfare systems, handheld counter-UAS devices provide flexible close-range defense against small drones operating below conventional radar coverage. Their portability is increasingly viewed as essential because many commercial quadcopters and first-person-view attack drones can fly at low altitude, evade detection, and strike targets with explosive payloads at minimal cost.

The Pentagon has sharply expanded investment in counter-drone technologies since 2023 as drone warfare reshaped combat operations in Europe and the Middle East. U.S. defense planners are pursuing layered defense architectures combining handheld jammers, directed-energy weapons, radar sensors, artificial intelligence-assisted tracking systems, and kinetic interceptors. Portable systems such as Drone Buster are particularly attractive because they can be distributed widely across deployed formations without the logistical burden of larger air defense assets.

NATO’s eastern flank has emerged as one of the Alliance’s most active testing grounds for these technologies. Lithuania, positioned near Belarus and close to the strategically sensitive Suwałki Corridor, hosts frequent multinational readiness exercises involving U.S. armored, artillery, and air defense units. Training areas such as Pabradė increasingly replicate combat environments shaped by constant drone surveillance, electronic warfare interference, and rapid precision targeting.

The exercise also demonstrates how the U.S. Army is moving beyond traditional counterinsurgency-era force-protection models toward battlefield conditions that resemble large-scale peer conflict. In Ukraine, drones costing only a few thousand dollars have destroyed tanks, self-propelled howitzers, command vehicles, and ammunition depots worth millions. That reality is driving urgent demand for scalable anti-drone systems to protect dispersed NATO forces against persistent aerial threats.

As V Corps continues integrating emerging technologies into its operational structure, anti-drone warfare is becoming a central pillar of NATO’s deterrence posture in Eastern Europe. The training in Lithuania shows that handheld electronic warfare weapons such as Drone Buster are no longer niche equipment but increasingly essential battlefield tools for defending troops against the drone-saturated combat environment likely to define future conflict near NATO’s borders with Russia.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.