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American Troops Face Drone Swarms in Iraq—and Take a Page From Ukraine’s Air Defense Playbook
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
The US Army’s 10th Mountain Division destroyed nearly 100 Shahed-type suicide drones during its latest deployment to the Middle East, according to Task & Purpose on October 23.
Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, stationed across Iraq and Syria, faced relentless attacks from Iranian-backed militias during the fall and winter of 2023–2024.
"This was one of the Iranian Drone attacks from 2023-24. We were deployed to MSSE in Syria. 2nd Brigade 10th Mountain Division." pic.twitter.com/04fA9MKLdN
— U.S Army WTF! moments (@usawtfm) October 26, 2025
Many of those assaults came in the form of long-range one-way drones—a new and evolving threat for US forces in the region.
“It felt like you were being hunted rather than hunting,” said Col. Scott Wence, the brigade’s commander.
The troops had received only minimal counter-drone instruction before deploying, taking part in what they called a short “drone academy.”
Still, they quickly adapted in the field—developing their own tactics and defensive measures during live combat.
Soldiers of the 10th mountain 2nd brigade combat team faced an unprecedented campaign of drone attacks during a deployment to iraq and syria in the fall of 2023. Full Story: https://t.co/FHBGCTHTDk pic.twitter.com/uKzsGAB5r7
— Task & Purpose (@TaskandPurpose) October 24, 2025
To protect personnel on base, engineers reinforced bunkers and covered vehicles and buildings with anti-drone nets, a method inspired in part by Ukrainian battlefield experience.
Wence compared their efforts to those of Ukrainians using nets around their tanks, and how the US used cage-like nets on vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At least 30 soldiers were wounded in drone strikes and later awarded Purple Hearts, including Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Donaldson, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in one of the attacks.
“None of us had any experience talking through how you defeat this,” Donaldson said.
The 10th Mountain Division ultimately shot down more than 100 drones—marking the first large-scale US engagement against swarms of loitering munitions.
Ukrainian defense media Militarnyi analysts believe the drones included Iranian-made Shahed-136 and similar models, while defenses likely ranged from Patriot batteries to C-RAM close-in weapon systems.
The campaign offered hard-earned lessons for the Army’s future drone defense training. “We lived in our offices,” Donaldson said. “When the attacks finally stopped, we could breathe again.”
Earlier, the United States announced plans to purchase Coyote interceptor drones worth more than $5 billion to strengthen its defenses against aerial and maritime drone threats.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has highlighted the increasing role of drones on the modern battlefield, with both sides deploying thousands of unmanned systems for surveillance, strikes, and air defense suppression.
The US military has drawn lessons from these operations, accelerating investments in drone countermeasures such as the Coyote program to prepare for future high-intensity conflicts.
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