FlyTrap 5.0 puts drones, UGVs and counter-UAS tools into field trials
FlyTrap 5.0 is putting emerging battlefield technology directly into soldiers’ hands in Lithuania.
U.S. infantry soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and paratroopers from the U.K. Parachute Regiment are preparing for the force-on-force phase of the project at Pabradė Training Area. The exercise integrates autonomous and unmanned ground vehicles, first-person-view drones and counter-unmanned aerial systems on a simulated battlefield. The preparation phase included briefings, drone familiarization, unmanned ground vehicle operations and rehearsals for counter-UAS procedures.
The project is built around a direct testing model. Soldiers are given new systems in the field, then asked to operate them under realistic conditions and provide feedback that can shape future training requirements and doctrine. That includes asking infantry soldiers to perform missions outside their traditional roles, such as operating UGVs to move equipment, soldiers, unmanned aerial systems and counter-UAS systems to points where they are needed.
The early emphasis is on speed of adoption and ease of use. Soldiers involved in the exercise said the systems could be absorbed quickly into unit tactics and used with limited friction. If the equipment performs as intended, the expected benefit is clear: fewer troops tied to routine or exposed tasks, faster mission execution and more effective support to maneuver forces.
FlyTrap 5.0 is part of a linked exercise series that includes Sword, Saber Strike, Immediate Response and Swift Response. The broader effort is aimed at turning experimentation into usable capability by combining counter-unmanned systems, AI-enabled command and control and live data networks. If the procedures developed in Lithuania can be standardized across formations, the project could accelerate how U.S. and allied forces move, decide and fight in drone-heavy battlespaces.