14:41 03-02-2026

Sentry South 26.1: U.S. Trains vs Geran-Type Drones

By U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Michael Ammons - http://www.379aew.afcent.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/040518-F-7709A-002.jpg, Public Domain, Link

Read how Sentry South 26.1 drills had U.S. pilots intercept low-observable low-altitude targets simulating Geran-type drones using KestrelX Risen KX-2 aircraft.

According to The War Zone’s observers, recent Sentry South 26.1 drills had U.S. forces practicing interceptions of targets meant to mimic «Geran»-type attack drones.

Instead of using conventional aircraft as stand-ins, the U.S. military flew two lightweight composite Risen KX-2 planes made by KestrelX as aerial targets. The outlet’s authors said these platforms can replicate the low-altitude flight profile of both cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

KestrelX chief Don Mosley explained that employing fifth-generation fighters to simulate such threats would be prohibitively expensive for the U.S. defense budget. In his view, the real danger lies where the price threshold is extremely low: armed drones like those seen in Ukraine.

The publication also stressed that the conflict in Ukraine has made one point hard to ignore: pilots need dedicated training to counter low-observable drones. KestrelX aircraft, as described in the report, feature reduced radar visibility and can stay aloft for up to 12 hours. During the exercise they operated at roughly 300 meters-an altitude that seriously complicated detection by fighter radars.

U. S. Air Force pilots involved in the drills, the outlet reported, acknowledged how hard the problem becomes in practice. Spotting such slow-moving targets by eye and then achieving precise weapons cueing against them proved very difficult.