HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - The “hunter” lifted off first, scanning the grassy terrain for targets. Then came the “killers,” drones that would hit them. With an insect-like hum, they rose one by one from the launchpad and buzzed away, high over the flat, muddy landscape.
Simulating a real-life battle scenario, the soldiers huddled beneath a grove of trees, holding small controllers with joysticks akin to Nintendo Switch consoles. The drone operators hustled out to the launchpad, dropped the drones, and then dashed back to take cover. The mission: use the “hunter” drone to identify and “killer” drones to hit five high-value targets from a thousand meters up. They had 30 minutes.
“It’s not as easy as it looks,” Staff Sgt. Salilo Fano, 31, one of the soldiers, told USA TODAY after the competition ended. One thing that helps "a lot" with training, he said, is playing video games.
The Army’s first-of-its-kind drone warfighter competition this month comes amid a sweeping effort by the Pentagon to embed drones in every branch of the military. The event highlights a skill set some of these young soldiers honed long before they put on a uniform. The Army needs adept drone operators, and one thing the best pilots often have in common, Army leaders say: a knack for gaming.
