SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- U.S. Air Forces Central partnered with U.S. Army Central, McEntire Joint National Guard Base, and MITRE, to test the operational capabilities of CARPE Dronvm, an AFCENT initiative developed by MITRE for Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems reporting and alerting, on July 18, 2023.
CARPE Dronvm’s smartphone app enables users to report suspicious drone activity and provide increased situational awareness to appropriate authorities, including command centers.
“Countering the drone threat in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility is essential to keeping our personnel, aircraft, and equipment safe,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Steven Norris, AFCENT cUAS cell chief. “Our MITRE partners have been helping make CARPE Dronvm a reality since 2019. Every single warfighter can help sense and warn, creating a comprehensive layered defense that will tie into our existing command and control architecture and increase awareness of threats in the region.”
ARCENT soldiers tested the app during a scheduled 50-kilometer drone flight from McEntire JNGB to Poinsett Electronic Combat Range. The soldiers were stationed at different points along the flight route to identify, photograph, and report the drone using CARPE Dronvm.
AFCENT and MITRE personnel monitored the soldiers’ reports from a mock command center at Poinsett Range using CARPE Dronvm’s situational awareness map.
“This Carpe Dronvm test is the largest live test conducted to date,” said U.S. Army Maj. Travis Valley, USARCENT Task Force 39 operations officer. “Carpe Dronvm has the potential to provide real time, crowd-sourced data about small, unmanned aerial systems to military decisions makers around the globe. Using CD, we can increase our detection capabilities and our ability to protect service members on the future battlefield.”
The test advanced AFCENT’s priority to innovate new processes, technologies and approaches, while also providing an opportunity for AFCENT and ARCENT personnel to share best practices, lessons learned, and operational experiences in countering UAS threats across CENTCOM.