{"id":48503,"date":"2026-02-20T23:03:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T23:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2026\/02\/20\/drones-change-everything-about-combined-arms-combat-us-army-aviation-chief-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:38:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:38:14","slug":"drones-change-everything-about-combined-arms-combat-us-army-aviation-chief-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/unmanned\/2026\/02\/20\/drones-change-everything-about-combined-arms-combat-us-army-aviation-chief-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Drones \u2018change everything\u2019 about combined arms combat, US Army aviation chief says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HUNTSVILLE, Ala. \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/02\/19\/us-army-lets-soldiers-flaunt-their-drone-skills-in-first-ever-competition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/02\/19\/us-army-lets-soldiers-flaunt-their-drone-skills-in-first-ever-competition\/\">Drones<\/a> are profoundly changing the Army\u2019s approach to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/02\/18\/apache-helicopters-downed-drones-in-air-to-air-combat-with-30mm-proximity-ammo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/02\/18\/apache-helicopters-downed-drones-in-air-to-air-combat-with-30mm-proximity-ammo\/\">aviation<\/a> and combined arms training, Maj. Gen. Clair A. Gill, commanding general of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/02\/13\/us-army-to-debut-fpv-bumblebee-v2-drone-interceptor-next-month\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/02\/13\/us-army-to-debut-fpv-bumblebee-v2-drone-interceptor-next-month\/\">U.S. Army<\/a> Aviation Center of Excellence, told Military Times in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the Army\u2019s first annual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/02\/20\/national-guard-team-clinches-award-for-clawed-drone-at-army-competition\/#:~:text=Zita%20Ballinger%20Fletcher%20previously%20served,with%20distinction%20in%20military%20history.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/02\/20\/national-guard-team-clinches-award-for-clawed-drone-at-army-competition\/#:~:text=Zita%20Ballinger%20Fletcher%20previously%20served,with%20distinction%20in%20military%20history.\">Best Drone Warfighter Competition<\/a> in Huntsville, Alabama, the Fort Rucker-based aviation chief shared his insights about the impact of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/02\/20\/how-commercial-drones-make-the-pentagons-blue-uas-select-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/02\/20\/how-commercial-drones-make-the-pentagons-blue-uas-select-list\/\">drones on military doctrine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe application of drone technology is only limited by your creativity,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s this constantly evolving game of technology and craftsmanship to create the desired effect that you want on the other end.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Army aviators are no strangers to unmanned systems, drones being fielded today are immensely different from those developed over the last two decades, many of which tended to be larger and required more manpower to operate, Gill said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn the last five to 10 years I would say we have seen a complete shift in what drone technology is and how it can be used,\u201d Gill said. The net result, he added, is that drones are \u201cno longer just the purview of Army aviation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI would argue now with the proliferation of small drones and how cheap and effective they can be that Army aviation is just one minor user now. &#8230; Everybody is going to have drones in the airspace to some degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s going to change everything. The nature of war is the same. It\u2019s always an endeavor of human conflict. But the character of war is just fundamentally different.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Lessons from Ukraine<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Drones have been used successfully as a force multiplier in a variety of global conflicts, from Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan to the Middle East and Ukraine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the U.S. Army is adapting its approaches based on observing other forces around the world, Gill stressed that there is no \u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d approach to drone warfare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. Army must develop drone combat doctrine in line with its unique capabilities, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re not the Ukrainian army, nor are we the Russian army,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just fundamentally operate differently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"2667\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9025301.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111061\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9025301.jpg.jpg 4000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9025301.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9025301.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9025301.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9025301.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9025301.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Army Spc. Christopher Newton, left, and Spc. Jonathan Tirado, middle, brief Maj. Gen. Clair Gill on operations in Powidz, Poland, April 28, 2025. (Sgt. James Lefty Larimer\/U.S. Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gill told Military Times that observers from the Army Aviation Center of Excellence are currently embedded with Ukraine\u2019s Security Assistance Group, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.europeafrica.army.mil\/ArticleViewPressRelease\/Article\/3861171\/press-release-security-assistance-group-ukraine-change-of-command\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.europeafrica.army.mil\/ArticleViewPressRelease\/Article\/3861171\/press-release-security-assistance-group-ukraine-change-of-command\/\">SAG-U<\/a>, to study lessons from the conflict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, fighting methods from Ukraine should not be broadly applied to American forces, he noted, due to differences in U.S. tactics and capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe would be fools not to pay attention and not to take a lot of lessons from them, which we\u2019re doing, but we can\u2019t take the wrong lessons,\u201d Gill said. \u201cJust because it didn\u2019t work in Russia-Ukraine doesn\u2019t mean it might not work for us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Project Victor<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tactical element of the Army\u2019s drone competition gave soldiers the chance to test drone aviation abilities while leveraging field skills on a hunter-killer mission, during which each team was afforded a single reconnaissance FPV drone and up to five \u201ckiller\u201d drones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat really is the application of the technology,\u201d Gill said. \u201cThey have to be able to use the technology in the context of what it is that we do, not just fly the drone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tactical challenge gave leadership an opportunity to observe with the aim of refining training, doctrine and approaches to drone combat operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gill explained that restructuring within Army commands has allowed analysis teams to be established at each Army Center of Excellence, including those dedicated to aviation, maneuver and fires. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ve restructured our subordinate teams and we have something called a Transformation Integration Directorate, TID, and within them they have a Transformation Lesson Learned Manager, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.army.mil\/article\/289940\/transformation_and_optimization_key_objectives_outlined_during_mscoe_town_hall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.army.mil\/article\/289940\/transformation_and_optimization_key_objectives_outlined_during_mscoe_town_hall\">TLLM<\/a>,\u201d he explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These managers are responsible for evaluating all observations and establishing what lessons are useful to the Army before uploading them into a new database system called Project Victor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Powered by generative AI technology, the system will give soldiers broad access to whitepapers, studies and useful information about operating drones in the field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat should be a database where any soldier can just go in,\u201d he said. \u201cThat should be up and running by this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Enduring need for human pilots<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the nearly unlimited applications of drones in war, Gill emphasized that they will never replace the ability of humans and do not compensate for the skills of trained Army aviators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUltimately, to put an assault force onto an objective, you need manned aviation,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gill cited the recent operation to capture <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/01\/06\/this-was-surgical-the-tactics-behind-the-maduro-mission\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/01\/06\/this-was-surgical-the-tactics-behind-the-maduro-mission\/\">Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> as an example of the finesse Army aviators bring to the table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat was a very exquisite demonstration with some our best aviators and some of our best aircraft,\u201d he said. \u201cWe continue to crank out the world\u2019s best rotary aviators.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The enduring need for human expertise was borne out in the tactical lane of the competition itself, as some teams experienced difficulty using the drones and soldiers tapped into combat training fundamentals for success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA lot of people seem to think that because we\u2019re moving so quickly in the unmanned space that it means we\u2019re moving away from the manned space,\u201d Gill said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe need to have both.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence discusses the impact of unmanned systems on U.S. Army aviation and combined arms. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":111055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-post-featured-layout","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":27,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[162,12,49,36,27],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3504],"class_list":["post-48503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-show-daily","category-industry","category-techwatch","category-newsletters","category-unmanned"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"I53TALLSPBG6DNFSAFB6NVUTKY","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2026\/02\/20\/drones-change-everything-about-combined-arms-combat-us-army-aviation-chief-says\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"featured-layout","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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