- The U.S. Army conducted Project FlyTrap 4.5 in Germany to evaluate counter-drone systems across detection, discrimination, and defeat roles.
- Fifteen companies were selected for the xTechCounterStrike competition, with four finalists awarded $350,000 after field testing.
The United States Army’s 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade and the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command brought together Soldiers, procurement personnel, and commercial technology developers for Project FlyTrap 4.5, a two-week counter-unmanned aerial systems assessment held at Truppenübungsplatz Putlos from Nov. 10 to 21, 2025.
The event focused on testing how new systems detect, discriminate, and defeat small unmanned aircraft operating in NATO airspace.
Project FlyTrap 4.5 gave participating companies the opportunity to test innovative products against simulated drone threats. Systems were required to demonstrate capability in detection, discrimination, or defeat roles. Vendors used passive and active radar technologies, each with trade-offs in survivability and data output. Passive sensors offer lower electromagnetic signatures but provide less detailed information, while active sensors generate stronger data at the cost of being easier for adversaries to locate.
For defeat requirements, demonstrations included kinetic systems as well as a system designed to neutralize threats without collateral damage.
Col. Haileyesus (Hailey) Bairu, commander of the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, emphasized the need to address smaller and inexpensive drones now common on the battlefield. “We have to start thinking about the group ones, the group twos [and] the group threes [drones], the smaller and cheaper systems,” Bairu said. As the brigade responsible for U.S. air defense operations in Europe, he added that his team aimed to answer the question: “How do we knock those [drones] down, so there’s not even a problem for our [maneuver forces]?”
During the early portion of the event, all participating systems were evaluated on their ability to connect to the brigade’s Forward Area Air Defense command-and-control network. This ensured that detect, discriminate, and defeat systems could communicate and share data in a unified environment. Soldiers from the 52nd ADA Brigade, V Corps, and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment contributed to establishing this connection, which enhances the potential for NATO countries to use these systems as part of the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line, a layered air defense network planned for NATO’s eastern frontier.
Planning for the event began nearly a year earlier, following a tasking from Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and NATO Allied Land Command. The 52nd ADA Brigade was assigned to identify technologies capable of countering emerging airborne threats. A three-month process produced agreements with five companies for fall 2025 testing.
Under the direction of Brig. Gen. Curtis King, commander of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, the brigade coordinated with V Corps to place the testing within the ongoing Project FlyTrap series. With Project FlyTrap 4.0 already completed and Project FlyTrap 5.0 scheduled for spring 2026, the November event was designated Project FlyTrap 4.5.
To expand participation, planners from the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology partnered with U.S. Army Europe and Africa, the Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate (G-TEAD), and the Program Executive Office Missiles and Space to launch the xTechCounterStrike competition. The competition invited small and large companies worldwide to present counter-drone systems for evaluation and a two-phase cash award.
Maj. Joshua McMillion, G-TEAD’s capability lead, explained the approach: “We were tasked specifically to accelerate the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line. With that, we went through some deliberate planning of what we currently had in terms of tools and resources at our disposal. We quickly realized one of the easiest ways to accelerate that capability is to partner with existing companies and existing organizations.”
From more than 200 applicants, 15 finalists were selected for Project FlyTrap 4.5 and awarded $50,000 each. Eleven traveled to Germany for phase two, and four were selected as winners, each receiving $350,000.
Evaluation was conducted by a panel including experts from the Army Test and Evaluation Command, G-TEAD, and Soldiers from the 52nd ADA Brigade. Sgt. Lukas Hollcraft, a panel member from the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, said: “We are all here at Project FlyTrap 4.5 helping to [bring] forward the air defense artillery branch by utilizing and testing out new systems to reinforce the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line and … expanding the tools we use.”