Brief
Ukrainian drones cause 70% of US tank brigade casualties in German war game
Colonel Michael Ziegelhofer said the drills showed how cheap drones can dominate expensive armor.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Ukrainian drone operators inflicted 70% of an American tank brigade's casualties during a ten‑day war game held in Germany in April, the commander of the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, reported.
The exercise, known as Greywolf, featured more than 750 UAV attacks against the US team and the Ukrainian unit Nemesis. On the first day, Ukraine’s 412th Regiment of Unmanned Systems Forces overwhelmed US forces, prompting the brigade to adopt electronic warfare and counter‑drone systems. By the third day, drone‑related casualties fell below 30% after the US troops adjusted tactics.
"The Russo‑Ukrainian war is the largest conflict in Europe since the Second World War, and over the past four years, it has fundamentally changed today’s character of war," Colonel Michael Ziegelhofer wrote. He noted that the $500 Ukrainian drones faced fully upgraded $25 million M1A2 Abrams tanks and M2A3 Bradley fighting vehicles.
Greywolf’s authors concluded that the brigade learned critical lessons in integrating capabilities with counter‑UAS equipment, leading to successful combined‑arms breaches.
Key facts
- Ukrainian drones caused 70% of US tank brigade casualties in the war game (nypost.com)
- The exercise recorded over 750 UAV attacks during ten days (nypost.com)
- Casualties fell below 30% after US forces deployed electronic warfare and counter‑drone systems (nypost.com)
- The drones cost about $500 each, while the US tanks cost about $25 million each (nypost.com)
- Colonel Michael Ziegelhofer is commander of the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division (nypost.com)
Sources
- [1] nypost.com — originally reported as “Ukraine’s $500 drones slaughtered America’s $25M tanks in recent war game”
