A MALVERN paratrooper is in Lithuania testing the latest kit and tactics to tackle the threat of drones, writes Stan Mills.
Pte Akio Langard-Tang, of 3rd Batallion of the Parachute Regiment, is currently deployed on Exercise Flytrap with the US Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment.
The 18-year-old said: “Drones present a massive threat on the battlefield.
“They make it easier for the enemy to find us and then they can send other drones to target us.
“You need to be aware of the risks, think about how you could be seen, and always look out for drones.”
To fight back against the threat of drone warfare, Akio is equipped with a DroneGun.
“You point it at a drone and pull the trigger, and it shoots electronic signals to overide the drone’s control signal.
“It’s been very effective and we’ve learnt a lot about how best to operate with it – drones we’ve used it on have been dropping out the sky or returning to base.”
Akio, a former pupil of The Chase School, finished his training a month ago and is now on his first overseas exercise, fighting mock battles with US troops as part of Exercise Flytrap.
The exercise has been put in place for US and British troops to test each other’s defences against drones.
The British Army is currently recruiting to fill 10,000 jobs across the UK. There are more than 200 job roles, including frontline combat, cyber security and helicopter pilots.
People can search for ‘Army Jobs’ online for more.
