Ukrainian drone operators defeated American troops at exercises in Germany, – WSJ

Our military acted so effectively that American units had to be “reborn” repeatedly.

Earlier this year, US service members met with Ukrainian drone operators during military exercises in Germany, but it ended in failure for the Americans, The Wall Street Journal reports .

According to sources, during the exercise called “Combined Resolve,” Ukrainian drone units effortlessly detected and destroyed American troops and armored vehicles that arrived as part of a rotation from Fort Hood in Texas.

Such maneuvers are conducted precisely so that troops can practice realistic combat conditions.

About 3,500 American servicemen were involved in the Combined Resolve exercise.

According to sources, their task was to storm positions held by enemy forces at an army training ground, which were reinforced by Ukrainian servicemen from the 412th Regiment of Unmanned Systems Forces (Nemesis). According to an army spokesman, the troops were equipped with standard electronic warfare and counter-drone systems.

According to American officials, Ukrainian drone operators destroyed an American armored brigade during exercises.

A participant in the exercise reported that the troops used heavy armored vehicles in the fighting, which raised dust, making them easier to spot by Ukrainian reconnaissance drones. These drones were followed by drones that dropped explosives and first-person drones that fired on targets in the battle.

It is noted that Ukrainian drones dealt with American equipment so quickly that it had to be returned to the training as new units or “restored” so that the training could continue.

The US repeated the exercise scenario for two weeks

The army spokesman said the forces that replaced each other improved their performance, becoming more skilled at ambushing and concealing, as well as using electronic warfare. The Ukrainians also switched sides in the middle of the exercise, helping them effectively use unmanned technology in offensive operations, the official added.

It is important to note that this was not the first time the US had encountered Ukraine’s experience in using drones.

In 2023, an American infantry officer who helped train Ukrainian troops realized that the United States needed to learn from them in the field of drone warfare and developed a training program that was later adopted by other military units, a U.S. official said.

Ukrainian military personnel on exercises

Last May, Ukrainian drone operators easily defeated British, Estonian, and other NATO forces, including a US contingent, during exercises in the Baltic region.

This spring, Swedish forces conducted exercises with NATO allies, during which Ukrainian drone teams also outperformed them.

A Ukrainian Magura family surface drone sank a target ship during the US-Philippine Balikatan 2026 exercises .

(C)UNIAN 2026