Project Flytrap 5.0 Puts Emerging Tech in Warfighters' Hands

U.S. infantry soldiers assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and paratroopers from the U.K. Parachute Regiment prepared for the force-on-force phase of Project Flytrap 5.0 at Pabradė Training Area, Lithuania, May 2.

Project Flytrap integrates autonomous and unmanned ground vehicles, first-person view drones and counter-unmanned aerial systems on the simulated battlefield.

This marked the third consecutive day of preparation and system integration for the exercise, which included a briefing attended by participating U.S. soldiers and U.K. paratroopers. Soldiers spent the remainder of the day conducting drone familiarization, operating unmanned ground vehicles and rehearsing counter-UAS procedures in preparation for the upcoming engagement.

Among those preparing were Army Spc. Arthur Tugman, an infantryman assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, who took on the role of unmanned ground vehicle operator to transport equipment, soldiers, UAS and counter-UAS for the exercise, a mission set outside his traditional infantry duties.

The integration of infantry soldiers into unmanned ground vehicle operations reflects a broader theme running through Project Flytrap - placing emerging technology directly in the hands of warfighters regardless of their primary specialty and using their feedback to drive rapid improvements across the force.

The exercise aims to organically assimilate these new duties to soldiers already assigned to units. Tugman said the speed at which his unit has been able to absorb and operate the new systems has been one of the more surprising aspects of the training.

"Something I learned that I didn't expect was how fast the United States Army is able to integrate new systems into warfighting tactics," he said. "I'd say this equipment is very easy to use. I'm able to pick it up, turn it on, and send it wherever it needs to go, as far as it needs to go, as fast as it needs to go."

That ease of use, Tugman said, has direct implications for how the soldiers could employ these systems at scale across the force.

"If all our technology works the way it's supposed to, we will preserve manpower as well as accomplish the mission faster and more effectively," he said.

For Tugman, the measure of success extends beyond the exercise itself. He described his goal as helping establish repeatable, standardized procedures for integrating counter-UAS and unmanned ground vehicle capabilities into the 2nd Cavalry Regiment's formations - procedures he hopes will eventually be adopted service wide.