Base defense

Prince Sultan Air Base Forms Anti-UAS Team

The 378th Air Expeditionary Wing has formed a Joint Total Force Counter-Small Unmanned Aerial System team to defend Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia against drone threats. The unit, comprising active duty and reserve soldiers as well as National Guard airmen, is responsible for operating various air defense command and control systems to detect and address UAS threats, DVIDS reported Saturday.

Officials at PSAB are integrating Air Force and Army resources and personnel into the base defense crew and putting them under regular training to build familiarity and improve execution.

According to Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, Ninth Air Force commander, initiatives to defend against drones are starting to be applied above base level. Grynkewich added that questions are being asked about when to employ base defense crews as opposed to operational level assets such as artillery.

Within the continental U.S., lawmakers have introduced legislation to address UAS threats to controlled airspace such as airports. Samantha Vinograd, the acting assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention at the Department of Homeland Security, told a Senate committee that almost 2,000 drones have been sighted near national airports since 2021. The bill, called the Safeguarding the Homeland from the Threats Posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act, would re-empower the DHS and Department of Justice to track down and address threats.