US Army deploys its newest counter-drone system to Poland

The United States sent additional troops to Poland in response to the threat of Russia invading Ukraine.

U.S. President Joe Biden ordered nearly 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania, as Washington moves to reassure jittery NATO allies amid a Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s border.

The newest 4×4 M-ATV-based M-LIDS weapon system also was moved to Poland along with Avenger short-range air defense system, AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air defense radar, and command and control networks.

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One of these systems was spotted near the Ukrainian border, in the area of a small airport in Zamość.

The M-LIDS (Mobile Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Integrated Defense System) provides Soldiers the mobility, firepower and protection required to detect, identify, trackand defeat unmanned aircraft system (UAS) threats.

The current M-LIDS capability also allows easy system improvement as new technolo-gies develop in the future. Through rigorous Army testing, M-LIDS is a low-risk mobile counter-UAS capability thatis available today.

The M-LIDS family of systems uses a modular framework with a cutting-edge capability, overlaid on existing programs of record, to create a mechanism to defeat UAS from the smallest systems to Group 3 unmanned aircraft capable of carrying large explosives or sophisticated observation payloads. These aircraft typically weigh more than 55 pounds, but less than 1,320 pounds and operate below 18,000 feet at speeds of slower than 250 knots—like the Shadow and the Integrator.

M-LIDS uses a range of passive and active sensors to detect, track and identify UAS and non-hostile aircraft. M-LIDS uses a comprehensive network to communicate, allowing the operator to task appropriate mitigation techniques, ranging from electronic warfare to full physical intercepts.

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