DIRT

A Virginia-based counter-UAS training company has launched a program focused on the phase of a drone incident that most training programs ignore entirely: what to do after the drone is already on the ground. 38 Sierra announced Drone Incident Response Training, known as DIRT, on May 5, 2026, from Barboursville, Virginia, positioning it as a purpose-built response to an operational gap in how security personnel, law enforcement, and military units handle grounded, crashed, suspicious, or potentially weaponized unmanned aircraft systems. The counter-UAS training industry has concentrated heavily on detection, airspace monitoring, and interdiction — the skills needed to spot and stop a drone in the air. DIRT starts where most programs stop. The distinction matters more than it might initially appear. A drone on the ground presents a fundamentally different problem from a drone in the air. It may be intact and armed. It may have a secondary device attached to target first responders. It may contain intelligence value that careless handling will destroy. It may be part of a surveillance operation, with the operator watching from nearby. Each of those scenarios requires a different initial response, and the first person on scene — who in most real-world situations is not a specialized EOD technician but a patrol officer, a facility security guard, a corrections officer, or a military security element — has to make those assessments without formal training in most current organizations. "When a drone is on the ground, the problem has just begun," said Patrick McCrone, Co-Founder of 38 Sierra, in the company's announcement. "DIRT was developed to ensure personnel can recognize hazards, assess risk, and respond safely during that critical phase of the incident." McCrone's background gives that framing direct operational credibility. He is an Explosive Ordnance Disposal professional with over two decades of experience in counter-IED operations, weapons technical intelligence, and grounded unmanned aircraft system response. He previously served as a Technical Lead at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's C5ISR Center, where he led work on UAS threats, radio-controlled improvised explosive devices, and grounded drone response procedures. Crucially, he was responsible for developing the initial doctrine for U.S. Military EOD response to grounded small unmanned aircraft systems — writing the formal tactics, techniques, and procedures for a problem that had no formal military response framework before he built one. The DIRT curriculum covers safe assessment of grounded, suspicious, or potentially hazardous drones; hazard recognition and risk-informed decision-making; reporting, scene control, and escalation procedures; evidence preservation; and operational continuity during drone-related incidents, according to 38 Sierra's announcement. The program is structured as mission-specific training tailored to the environments and risks each customer organization is most likely to face, with courses built for critical infrastructure, law enforcement, executive protection, aviation and airport security, maritime and port security, event and stadium security, corrections, military facilities, and bomb squads and EOD units. Each course is built around the operational realities of that specific environment rather than generic procedures that may not translate to the conditions personnel will actually encounter. To support the training, 38 Sierra develops realistic inert UAS threat training aids and support tools — physical replicas and scenario props that allow personnel to practice hazard recognition, hands-on response, and decision-making drills without introducing actual risk from live systems. The use of realistic training aids for a threat that varies enormously in size, configuration, and potential payload from one incident to the next is a practical necessity. A security guard who has only seen manufacturer diagrams of small commercial drones is not prepared to assess a modified or weaponized airframe that may not resemble any commercial product they recognize. The customer list 38 Sierra is targeting reflects how broadly the grounded drone problem has distributed itself across security environments. Military facilities have been dealing with drone incursions over sensitive installations for years, a problem that has moved from occasional nuisance to persistent security challenge. Law enforcement has encountered drones used for surveillance of police operations, smuggling across borders and into correctional facilities, and increasingly as potential weapons platforms. Airports face grounded drone incidents regularly, whether from hobbyist crashes or deliberate intrusion, with implications for airfield safety and potential intelligence concerns. Port and maritime security faces a variant of the same problem in an environment with additional contamination and access complications. In each setting, the response calculus is different, and the first person on scene sets the conditions for every subsequent action. Most training for drone threats treats the aircraft as the problem. DIRT treats the aftermath as the problem. Given how often the aftermath is what actually confronts the first person on scene, that framing may be overdue.

DIRT

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DIRT

New training program prepares security personnel for grounded drone threats

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