{"id":4642289,"date":"2026-07-09T11:31:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T16:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T14:44:08","slug":"air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The Air Force Goes Shopping for New Ways to Kill Drones"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style><\/p>\r\n<p>The aircraft that worries American air base commanders most in 2026 is not a Chinese stealth fighter or a Russian bomber. It is a battery-powered quadcopter that costs less than a used laptop, and there is nothing to stop a hostile one from buzzing the fence line of a base full of billion-dollar jets.<\/p>\r\n<p>So the U.S. Air Force has set up a lab whose entire job is to figure out how to kill it \u2014 and this month it put out a call to industry for better ways to do so.<\/p>\r\n<p>The message, roughly: bring us anything that can find a small drone and knock it down, and bring it fast.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background: #f5f5f5; padding: 20px 24px; margin: 24px 0; border-radius: 8px;\">\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 12px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 18px; color: #333;\">Quick Facts<\/p>\r\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 15px;\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 12px 6px 0; color: #666; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\"><strong>Who<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #333;\">ACC Point Defense Battle Lab, 319th Reconnaissance Wing, Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 12px 6px 0; color: #666; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\"><strong>Mission<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #333;\">Defend domestic U.S. Air Force and Space Force bases from drones<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 12px 6px 0; color: #666; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\"><strong>Wants<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #333;\">Detection and tracking systems, plus effectors: rockets, interceptor drones, high-energy lasers, high-power microwave<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 12px 6px 0; color: #666; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\"><strong>Vendor deadline<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #333;\">31 July 2026<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 12px 6px 0; color: #666; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\"><strong>Exercises<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #333;\">About six run in 2026; more scheduled for August and December<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 12px 6px 0; color: #666; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\"><strong>Report due<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #333;\">To the ACC commander by the end of 2026<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 22px;\">Red Air, With Quadcopters<\/h2>\r\n<p>The lab is deliberately unglamorous. Based at Grand Forks and run under Air Combat Command, it pits teams of Airmen playing \u201cRed Air\u201d \u2014 flying small Group 1 and Group 2 drones, the commercial and light-military classes \u2014 against competing counter-drone systems to see what actually works when a swarm shows up over the flightline. Roughly six such exercises have already run this year.<\/p>\r\n<p>The point is not just the hardware. It is the human choreography of base defence: who spots the drone, who is allowed to shoot, and how fast the whole chain moves.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background: #f8f9fa; border-left: 4px solid #1565c0; padding: 20px 22px; margin: 18px 0 24px; border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7; display: flex; gap: 20px; align-items: flex-start;\">\r\n<div><em>\u201cThe team is gaining a lot of really valuable data \u2026 like what do Airmen do if they see a drone, what does that process look like?\u201d<\/em>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 10px; font-size: 14px; color: #555;\"><strong>Senior Master Sgt. BreeAnn Sachs<\/strong> \u2014 ACC Point Defense Battle Lab<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>That question sounds simple until you remember that until very recently, defending an air base against something flying meant fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles \u2014 systems designed to kill other jets, not to swat a hobby drone out of the traffic pattern without putting a missile through a hangar.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin: 0 0 24px;\"><img data-opt-id=177147403  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; border-radius: 6px;\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/airmen-red-air-counter-drone-exercise.jpg\" alt=\"Airmen train against small drones in a counter-UAS exercise\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" \/>\r\n<figcaption style=\"font-size: 13px; color: #777; text-align: center; margin-top: 6px; font-style: italic;\">Security forces Airmen drill against small drones \u2014 exactly the Group 1 and 2 threat the Battle Lab is built to defeat. Photo: U.S. Air Force via Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 22px;\">Everything That Kills a Drone<\/h2>\r\n<p>The lab is asking for two things: sensors that detect, identify and track incoming drones, and effectors that destroy them. The effector wish-list reads like a catalogue of the entire counter-drone industry \u2014 guided rockets, drone-on-drone interceptors, high-energy lasers, and high-power microwave weapons that fry electronics across a whole formation at once.<\/p>\r\n<p>It does not exist in a vacuum. The Pentagon has already begun fielding laser and microwave systems to five installations, stood up dedicated air base air defence units, and \u2014 after replicating a Ukrainian-style drone raid at a Florida range \u2014 concluded that its bases at home are far more exposed than anyone was comfortable admitting. The Battle Lab is where those lessons get turned into a shopping list.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 24px 0;\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0; border-radius: 8px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uhVPOjbj0dY\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-no-lazy=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>A snapshot of how fast the counter-drone industry is multiplying, from a 2026 defence exposition.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 22px;\">The Clock Is a Shahed<\/h2>\r\n<p>The urgency is not theoretical. Cheap one-way attack drones like Iran\u2019s Shahed have shown that a few thousand dollars of airframe can threaten targets that used to require a cruise missile, and mysterious drone incursions over U.S. strategic bases have repeatedly gone unpunished for lack of a good way to respond. Every base full of parked aircraft is, from the air, an enormous and largely undefended target.<\/p>\r\n<p>Industry has until the end of July to answer. The winning ideas get thrown into the August and December exercises, and a report lands on the Air Combat Command commander\u2019s desk by year\u2019s end. For once, the arms race the Air Force is trying to win is measured not in Mach numbers but in dollars per drone killed \u2014 and it is racing to get that number down before someone else drives it up.<\/p>\r\n<p><em>Sources: Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine; DefenseScoop; Defense One; U.S. Air Force.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mf-faq -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-block\"><style>.mf-faq-block{margin:34px 0}.mf-faq-item:not([open]) .mf-faq-answer{display:none !important}.mf-faq-block h2.mf-faq-h{padding-top:22px;margin-bottom:14px}.mf-faq-item{border:1px solid #e2e8f5;border-radius:8px;margin:0 0 10px;background:#fff}.mf-faq-item summary{list-style:none;cursor:pointer;padding:15px 50px 15px 18px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a;position:relative;line-height:1.45;user-select:none}.mf-faq-item summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mf-faq-item summary::after{content:\"+\";position:absolute;right:18px;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);font-size:1.5em;font-weight:400;color:#5C91FF;line-height:1}.mf-faq-item[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mf-faq-item[open] summary{border-bottom:1px solid #eef1f8}.mf-faq-item summary:hover{background:#f5f8ff}.mf-faq-answer{padding:14px 18px;color:#333;line-height:1.6}.mf-faq-answer p{margin:0}.mf-faq-answer a{color:#5C91FF}<\/style>\r\n<h2 class=\"mf-faq-h\">Related Questions<\/h2>\r\n<details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>What is the ACC Point Defense Battle Lab?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>It is a US Air Force laboratory run under Air Combat Command by the 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. Its sole mission is defending domestic Air Force and Space Force bases from small drones, testing counter-drone systems in live exercises against Airmen flying mock attacks.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>Why are small drones a threat to military bases?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>Because a battery-powered quadcopter costing less than a used laptop can overfly a base full of billion-dollar aircraft, and stopping one is surprisingly hard. Cheap commercial drones can conduct surveillance or carry payloads, and traditional air defences were never designed for targets this small, slow and low.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>What weapons can shoot down small drones?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>The Air Force's July 2026 call to industry asks for detection and tracking systems plus a full menu of effectors: rockets, interceptor drones, high-energy lasers and high-power microwave weapons. The military has also stood up <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hegseth-pentagon-drone-office-drpm-uxs-2026\/\">a dedicated Pentagon drone czar<\/a> to coordinate counter-drone efforts.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>What are Group 1 and Group 2 drones?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>They are the US military's smallest drone classes \u2014 commercial and light-military types like quadcopters and small fixed-wing aircraft. In the battle lab's exercises, Airmen fly Group 1 and 2 drones as 'Red Air' attackers against competing counter-drone systems to see what actually works against a swarm.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>When will the Air Force pick new counter-drone weapons?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>Vendors have until 31 July 2026 to respond to the call. About six evaluation exercises have already run in 2026, more are scheduled for August and December, and the battle lab owes a report to the commander of Air Combat Command by the end of the year.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>Have drones attacked warships too?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>Drone warfare has spread to sea as well \u2014 navies now field <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/royal-navy-nyan-drone-launch-patrick-blackett\/\">kamikaze drones launched from warships<\/a>, and defending vessels face the same cheap-attacker economics that worry air base commanders on land.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><\/div>\r\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the ACC Point Defense Battle Lab?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"It is a US Air Force laboratory run under Air Combat Command by the 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. Its sole mission is defending domestic Air Force and Space Force bases from small drones, testing counter-drone systems in live exercises against Airmen flying mock attacks.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why are small drones a threat to military bases?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Because a battery-powered quadcopter costing less than a used laptop can overfly a base full of billion-dollar aircraft, and stopping one is surprisingly hard. Cheap commercial drones can conduct surveillance or carry payloads, and traditional air defences were never designed for targets this small, slow and low.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What weapons can shoot down small drones?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Air Force's July 2026 call to industry asks for detection and tracking systems plus a full menu of effectors: rockets, interceptor drones, high-energy lasers and high-power microwave weapons. The military has also stood up <a href=\\\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hegseth-pentagon-drone-office-drpm-uxs-2026\/\\\">a dedicated Pentagon drone czar<\/a> to coordinate counter-drone efforts.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What are Group 1 and Group 2 drones?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"They are the US military's smallest drone classes \u2014 commercial and light-military types like quadcopters and small fixed-wing aircraft. In the battle lab's exercises, Airmen fly Group 1 and 2 drones as 'Red Air' attackers against competing counter-drone systems to see what actually works against a swarm.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When will the Air Force pick new counter-drone weapons?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Vendors have until 31 July 2026 to respond to the call. About six evaluation exercises have already run in 2026, more are scheduled for August and December, and the battle lab owes a report to the commander of Air Combat Command by the end of the year.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Have drones attacked warships too?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Drone warfare has spread to sea as well \u2014 navies now field <a href=\\\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/royal-navy-nyan-drone-launch-patrick-blackett\/\\\">kamikaze drones launched from warships<\/a>, and defending vessels face the same cheap-attacker economics that worry air base commanders on land.\"}}]}<\/script><!-- \/mf-faq -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background: #f0f4ff; border-left: 4px solid #5C91FF; padding: 16px 20px; margin: 32px 0 8px; border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0;\">\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 8px; font-weight: 600; color: #333;\">Related Posts<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 4px 0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/7th-infantry-division-multi-domain-command-pacific-drones\/\">The Army Wants to Drown Its Enemies in Drones<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 4px 0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/uk-5-billion-autonomous-drones-defence-investment-plan-2026\/\">The UK\u2019s Drones Won\u2019t Always Ask Permission to Fire<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The aircraft that worries American air base commanders most in 2026 is not a Chinese stealth fighter or a Russian bomber. It is a battery-powered quadcopter that costs less than a used laptop, and there is nothing to stop a hostile one from buzzing the fence line of a base full of billion-dollar jets. So [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":4642187,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4642289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Inside the Air Force Battle Lab&#039;s Counter-Drone Push<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The US Air Force has stood up a battle lab to fast-track counter-drone options, racing to answer the cheap-drone threat over its bases.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inside the Air Force Battle Lab&#039;s Counter-Drone Push\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The US Air Force has stood up a battle lab to fast-track counter-drone options, racing to answer the cheap-drone threat over its bases.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-09T09:31:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-20T14:44:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/counter-uas-system-fires-drone-defense.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joseph Duncan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joseph Duncan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joseph Duncan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85\"},\"headline\":\"The Air Force Goes Shopping for New Ways to Kill Drones\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-09T09:31:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-20T14:44:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1023,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/counter-uas-system-fires-drone-defense.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Military Aviation\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"Inside the Air Force Battle Lab's Counter-Drone Push\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/counter-uas-system-fires-drone-defense.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-09T09:31:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-20T14:44:08+00:00\",\"description\":\"The US Air Force has stood up a battle lab to fast-track counter-drone options, racing to answer the cheap-drone threat over its bases.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/counter-uas-system-fires-drone-defense.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/counter-uas-system-fires-drone-defense.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853,\"caption\":\"260126-N-HD763-1313 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Jan. 26, 2026) A mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle equipped with a mobile-low, slow, small-unmanned aircraft integrated defeat system (M-LIDS) launcher fires a counter-unmanned aerial system at a fixed wing target during a training exercise in Bahrain. This bilateral training between U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the Bahrain Defense Force improves collaboration and interoperability between the U.S. and Bahrain. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Iain Page)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Air Force Goes Shopping for New Ways to Kill Drones\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85\",\"name\":\"Joseph Duncan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Joseph Duncan\"},\"description\":\"Joseph Duncan covers breaking defence news \u2014 fast, sharp dispatches on the Pentagon, procurement and the world\u2019s air forces.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/author\\\/josephduncan\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Inside the Air Force Battle Lab's Counter-Drone Push","description":"The US Air Force has stood up a battle lab to fast-track counter-drone options, racing to answer the cheap-drone threat over its bases.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Inside the Air Force Battle Lab's Counter-Drone Push","og_description":"The US Air Force has stood up a battle lab to fast-track counter-drone options, racing to answer the cheap-drone threat over its bases.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-09T09:31:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-20T14:44:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":853,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/counter-uas-system-fires-drone-defense.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Joseph Duncan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joseph Duncan","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"Joseph Duncan","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85"},"headline":"The Air Force Goes Shopping for New Ways to Kill Drones","datePublished":"2026-07-09T09:31:34+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-20T14:44:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/"},"wordCount":1023,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/counter-uas-system-fires-drone-defense.jpg","articleSection":["Military Aviation","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/","name":"Inside the Air Force Battle Lab's Counter-Drone Push","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/counter-uas-system-fires-drone-defense.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-09T09:31:34+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-20T14:44:08+00:00","description":"The US Air Force has stood up a battle lab to fast-track counter-drone options, racing to answer the cheap-drone threat over its bases.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/counter-uas-system-fires-drone-defense.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/counter-uas-system-fires-drone-defense.jpg","width":1280,"height":853,"caption":"260126-N-HD763-1313 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Jan. 26, 2026) A mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle equipped with a mobile-low, slow, small-unmanned aircraft integrated defeat system (M-LIDS) launcher fires a counter-unmanned aerial system at a fixed wing target during a training exercise in Bahrain. This bilateral training between U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the Bahrain Defense Force improves collaboration and interoperability between the U.S. and Bahrain. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Iain Page)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-battle-lab-counter-drone-options-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Air Force Goes Shopping for New Ways to Kill Drones"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85","name":"Joseph Duncan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Joseph Duncan"},"description":"Joseph Duncan covers breaking defence news \u2014 fast, sharp dispatches on the Pentagon, procurement and the world\u2019s air forces.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/author\/josephduncan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4642289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4642289"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4642289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6448296,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4642289\/revisions\/6448296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4642187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4642289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4642289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4642289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}