US Army Paratroopers Achieve First Drone-on-Drone Kill in Alabama Training

U.S. Army paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade achieved a historic milestone by executing the Army's first drone-on-drone kill during a training exercise at Fort Rucker, Alabama. 1st Lt. Francesco La Torre piloted a first-person view drone equipped with a Claymore mine, successfully intercepting and destroying a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle. La Torre compared the challenging operation to the epic space battles in Star Wars, emphasizing the difficulty and precision required. This achievement highlights the Army's ongoing adaptation to modern drone warfare, with extensive preparatory training and collaboration with the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. The event underscores how low-cost drone systems and innovation are empowering individual troops to make significant operational impacts. Meanwhile, broader discussions on drone threats emphasize that while spectacular drone strikes by state actors like Ukraine and Israel demonstrate vulnerabilities, such operations require detailed intelligence and coordination, making them difficult to replicate on U.S. soil.