SMOKY HILL AIR NATIONAL GUARD RANGE, Kan -- Airmen assigned to the 184th Wing’s Point Defense Battle Lab (PDBL) partnered with a commercial defense technology vendor to test autonomous drone swarm capabilities during a live demonstration for Kansas state leaders and staff delegates at Smoky Hill Air National Guard Range near Salina, Kansas, May 7, 2026.
The demonstration highlighted the critical mission of the newly established PDBL. Selected by Air Combat Command to support the 319th Reconnaissance Wing out of Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, the 184th Wing leveraged its expertise in air battle management, cyber operations and AI-enabled intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to counter emerging airborne threats.
Airman from the PDBL showcased how cutting-edge technology, rapid innovation and agile problem-solving shape the future fight. They highlighted the vendor's ability to coordinate up to 1,000 Group 1 unmanned aerial systems (UAS) simultaneously using a single ground control station operator.
Prior to the delegates' arrival, the PDBL and their potential industry partner conducted extensive operations rehearsals to test flight formations that emulate tactical threats used by adversaries.
These test flights support the battle lab’s development in aggressor operations for future ACC point defense assessments scheduled to take place later this year.
In addition to the vendor demonstration, the battle lab tested open-sourced automated architecture. Using publicly available technology and commercial-off-the-shelf systems, Airmen explored how low-cost drone swarms can be automated to support future operational capabilities.
These operational experiments and aggressor initiatives are key to the PDBL's goal of developing and validating tactics, techniques and procedures for countering small UAS.