On Monday, a video with the title “Have you ever seen a drone drop a GRENADE?” was posted on the US Army’s official X channel.
The accompanying narration proudly announced that troops from the US 7th Army Training Command (7 ATC), Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine (JMTG-U), and the 173rd Airborne Brigade had carried out the army’s “first ever live-grenade drop from an unmanned aircraft system” in Germany’s Grafenwoehr training area.
The video showed army personnel flying a commercial quadcopter drone around the area before unpacking and loading an M69 inert practice grenade onto a purpose-built dropping mechanism fitted underneath the drone.
This was later repeated using a live M67 high explosive hand grenade. The video filmed from the ground, other observer drones and through the drone’s onboard camera showed the grenades being dropped (at least one of which appeared to have missed the target.)
The verbal fanfare presented by the voice-overs in the video seemed to have exacerbated the widespread derision with which the post was greeted.
Maj. Philip Draper, identified as a JMTG-U Brigade Aviation Officer, said, “It was the first live ordnance drop from a small UAS for [the] conventional Army,” before adding, “That’s a big step for 7th ATC and the 173rd, who we partnered with.”
Draper said the purpose of these trials was to allow them to pass lessons learned to the army’s “higher authorities.”
Col. Donny Hebel, head of the JMTG-U, which was set up ten years ago to train Ukraine’s armed forces, said, “The purpose of this training is more of innovation, it’s to do things we’ve not done before, to extend ourselves beyond what we’re currently capable of doing.”
1st Lt. David Baker, listed as an electronic warfare officer, spoke on camera about his responsibility for ensuring the grenades were fixed correctly and the “dropper” was operational. He described the exercise of making the first live drop of a grenade as “a great success.”
Within minutes of the post going up, the ridicule began and it became so intense that the army administrators were forced to remove it after just over an hour – but by then, the damage had been done, and the deleted video soon began to do the rounds of multiple milbloggers.
Response from social media users
Osinttechnical said, “It’s a bit concerning that the U.S. took over three years to begin deploying a tactic that Ukrainian soldiers were doing just a few days after Russia invaded. The drone dropping the grenade costs about $15,000.”
“Also, no one drops loose M67 hand grenades anymore, most Ukrainian units are using a variety of custom adapted munitions, like VOG grenades with stabilizing fins.”
Mutant Dwarf@Charles6159228 wrote, “LOL! ‘Why no, I haven’t watched a single drone video from the Ukraine war in almost three years! Show me the drone dropping a <gasp> grenade!’”
Tyler Rogoway @Aviation_Intel reposted an article by TWZ from 2016, which showed an ISIS drone dropping a grenade on an M1 tank in Iraq with the comment: “Nobody who has been [in] power will answer for this incredible lack of imagination and foresight of course. We choose to lose.”
RealLifeFootage wrote, “I’m glad Hegseth is changing the way we fight but damn... Come on dude.”
rebok@CherryPlus19 wrote, “All those millions just for some Ukrainian guy to make it cheaper and better in a foxhole on the front.”
Code Name: White Mouse@NAFOWhiteMouse wrote, “Next week’s video ‘Have you ever seen a breach-loading rifle?’”
Mr. Bill Bean@BillyBe24919109 wrote, “No doubt they paid billions to some defense company to make this happen, instead of popping down to Home Depot or whatever.”
Lord Edmund Blackadder @kiwi_cynical, commenting on the decision to remove the army post, “Oh no, we cyber bullied the @usarmy into deleting it? Should I feel bad? I kinda do.”