U.S. Army integrates counter-drone tactics into armored warfare during Operation Return of the Condor.

Operation Return of the Condor, held on August 27, 2025, at Fort Hood, Texas, has emerged as a pivotal milestone in the U.S. Army’s tactical adaptation to drone threats on the modern battlefield. Designed as a full-spectrum combat simulation, the exercise integrated small unmanned aircraft systems into live maneuver operations involving M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles. This effort marked a deliberate shift from passive drone defense to active, integrated countermeasures within armored formations.
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A small unmanned aircraft system flies above a moving M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle during Operation Return of the Condor at Fort Hood, Texas, on August 27, 2025, as part of a live-force exercise focused on integrating counter-drone systems into U.S. Army armored warfare tactics. (Picture source: U.S. DoD)

The tactical focus of the Operation Return of the Condor centered on evaluating how drone surveillance and strike threats affect mechanized ground units during movement and in contact. The exercise introduced multiple layers of electronic warfare, including radio frequency detection, passive radar sensing, and jamming capabilities, directly embedded into operational formations. These systems were tested in real time as Bradleys maneuvered across varied terrain under simulated drone observation and engagement, replicating conditions now regularly encountered in modern conflicts.

Rather than isolating counter drone measures within air defense units, the exercise emphasized their integration into maneuver elements. The Bradleys operated as both offensive assets and mobile counter drone platforms, supported by sensor nodes positioned across the battlespace. This distributed detection network was designed to provide 360-degree coverage against low, slow, and small drone threats, while preserving freedom of maneuver and tactical momentum. Each detection asset was linked to digital command systems, enabling rapid decision-making and synchronized response across units.

The presence of active drone threats during live movement drills tested the Army’s ability to apply countermeasures without degrading operational tempo. Target acquisition systems on the Bradleys were aligned with passive surveillance tools, allowing operators to track, classify, and respond to incoming aerial platforms while continuing their ground mission. The tactical challenge was not simply to detect drones, but to do so under battlefield conditions where every second and every decision matters.

One of the core advancements tested during the operation was the integration of multi-sensor fusion algorithms capable of correlating radio emissions, thermal signatures, and visual inputs into a unified threat picture. This allowed crews to prioritize threats based on proximity, behavior, and platform type. The use of onboard computing power to process and relay threat data in motion reflects the Army’s ongoing effort to decentralize counter drone capability, pushing decision-making and situational awareness to the lowest tactical level.

The exercise also served to validate counter drone tactics under high mobility conditions. During coordinated assaults and defensive maneuvers, Bradleys deployed with full awareness of drone activity overhead, adjusting formations and speed to maintain tactical cover and signal discipline. Electronic warfare units provided protective envelopes, disrupting potential drone-guided targeting without exposing their own emissions. This synchronized movement between armored elements and electronic warfare support units is now seen as a critical capability in future large-scale combat operations.

Return of the Condor demonstrated that counter drone systems must evolve beyond static defense roles and become fully integrated into the combined arms fight. The modular configuration of sensors and jammers tested on the Bradleys suggests a path forward for equipping armored and mechanized formations with scalable, platform-agnostic counter UAS solutions. As adversaries continue to deploy increasingly autonomous and networked drone swarms, the ability to counter such threats from within armored maneuver units will be a decisive factor in battlefield survivability and effectiveness.

Crucially, the exercise also reflected battlefield lessons drawn directly from the war in Ukraine, where the rapid rise of commercial drones has redefined tactical realities. In Ukraine, drone-enabled artillery strikes have devastated armored columns and exposed the vulnerabilities of traditional force structures to persistent low-altitude surveillance. Return of the Condor addressed this threat profile by focusing on real-time drone detection under armor and on-the-move, as well as how to disrupt drone-based fire correction before it results in massed indirect fire.

The war in Ukraine has shown that the tempo of drone operations far exceeds traditional kill chains. To counter this, the Army used Return of the Condor to test sensor fusion and fast signal-processing capabilities that enable near-instant identification and targeting of aerial threats. In addition, Ukraine’s experience with loitering munitions, kamikaze drones, and swarm tactics has pushed U.S. planners to evaluate how armored units can maneuver without becoming visible signatures for precision-guided attacks. The Fort Hood exercise addressed this by training Bradley crews in radar avoidance, electromagnetic discipline, and the use of active deception to confuse drone ISR platforms.

The inclusion of electronic warfare elements in Return of the Condor also reflects a direct response to Ukrainian battlefield conditions, where contested electromagnetic environments are the norm. The U.S. Army replicated those conditions during the exercise to stress-test the reliability of battlefield communications, GPS navigation, and RF-dependent sensors under jamming and spoofing attempts. This level of realism ensures that crews are prepared to operate even when systems degrade or fail under enemy interference.

Looking ahead, the results of Operation Return of the Condor are expected to influence not only immediate tactical doctrine but also future vehicle design, particularly in the development of the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle. Lessons from the exercise will inform sensor placement, data processing requirements, and how future combat vehicles can be built from the ground up with integrated counter drone capabilities as standard.

As the U.S. Army continues to prepare for near-peer conflict in complex and contested environments, exercises like Return of the Condor offer more than validation. They define the tactical architecture of future ground combat, where detection, electronic warfare, and maneuver are no longer separate functions, but inseparable components of a unified battlefield response.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry