Concise Summary:
Norwegian troops utilized tennis balls dropped by drones during NATO exercise Joint Viking 2025 to test drone tactics inspired by Ukraine’s experience with inexpensive drones. The objective was to evaluate intelligence gathering, surveillance, and attack methods using different drone types, including first-person-view (FPV) drones. The exercise focused on simulating attacks on armored vehicles through dive attack patterns of FPVs carrying tennis balls. This marked the first time the Norwegian Army conducted such extensive testing at this scale. The experiment was designed to assess how attackers utilize drones for striking targets and understand their own aerial signature, as well as evaluate standard operating procedures. The exercise highlights the increasing sophistication and effectiveness of drones in warfare, particularly given Ukraine’s success in using them against larger Russian platforms.
Key Points:
- Here are five key points from the provided text:.
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- The Norwegian Army conducted an evaluation of drone attack strategies using tennis balls and first-person-view drones (FPVs).
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- This exercise, part of NATO’s Joint Viking 2025, aimed to test intelligence and surveillance tactics involving FPVs.
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- The use of tennis balls as simulated munitions was a method of replicating the threat from modern attack drones.
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- The exercise involved over 30 tennis balls being dropped during ten sorties by the FPVs, marking the first time the Norwegian Army conducted such large-scale testing with attack drones.
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- The evolution of cheap drones in Ukraine has demonstrated their increasing effectiveness against larger targets like combat helicopters.
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Original Link: https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/03/17/norwegian-soldiers-drop-tennis-balls-on-tanks-to-test-drone-tactics/
User Message: Norwegian soldiers drop tennis balls on tanks to test drone tactics
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