The U.S. Army’s first multinational drone combat competition held in Europe saw 10 teams wield first person view drones with stealth in a forest setting to test their skills.
Hosted by the 7th Army Training Command at Grafenwoehr, Germany from December 8-10, the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Drone Warfighter Competition was the first of its kind. The competition brought together American troops with international allies to compete on overall efficiency wielding drones in combat, with particular emphasis on conducting reconnaissance and stealth strikes across dense wooded areas.
“The original intent was to evaluate different teams and organizations on their ability to perform a lethal UAS lane, incorporating the hunter-killer concept and spark competitive encouragement and innovation,” Sgt. 1st Class Logan Parks, UAS program manager, 7ATC’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC), said in a video statement shared with Defense News.
“Tactically,” Parks continued, “we’re assessing them on their ability to move with all of their equipment within their team through a forest, emplace their systems in a tactical situation with camouflage, concealment and maintaining as low of a posture as possible while completing the mission.”
A team of six from Spain’s Legion Brigade took first place overall, while a team from 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment finished in second and will go on to compete in the Army’s Best Drone Warfighter Competition to be held in Alabama in February 2026.
“It shows the hard work that our team is doing every day. Not only just coming here, but they’ve been training really hard for months with their new equipment and new TTPs. So, it’s an absolute honor for us all,” 1st Lt. Carlos Castro Raffia of Spain’s team said in a service release.
The competition was fierce and saw many challenges including fog, which disrupted some drone systems and caused crashes, according to post-competition remarks by Brig. Gen. Terry Tillis, commander of 7th Army Training Command, shared with Defense News.
Tillis emphasized that the competition was intended to create an exchange of knowledge between competing U.S. teams and international partners to build strength and expertise.
“Collaboration is between all of us working together, not just one team,” Tillis said. “We’re learning from each other.”
Staff Sgt. Eric Navarro of the leading U.S. Army team said he believed the competition was a good learning experience for all involved.
“I think it was a good experience overall,” Navarro said in the video. “We got to see a little bit of where everyone was at and what we can work on. I think everyone can only go up from here.”
Zita Ballinger Fletcher previously served as editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds an M.A. with distinction in military history.
