Soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division operated the Mobile Low, Slow, Small UAS Integrated Defeat System (M-LIDS) at Mahajan Field Firing Range; Indian troops observed and discussed tactics but did not operate the system.
M-LIDS combines Ku-band radar, electro-optical/infrared sensors and the Forward Area Air Defense C2 to detect, identify and permit either electronic jamming or kinetic defeat of small drones.
The exercise tested rapid setup, movement with protected forces, and equipment and personnel performance in Rajasthan heat, dust and heat shimmer.
M-LIDS is a vehicle-mounted set of sensors, command software and weapons designed to detect, track, identify and defeat small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The system fielded in this exercise included:
Once a threat is identified, crews can select an electronic warfare response to jam a drone or a kinetic option to shoot it down. Because M-LIDS is mounted on tactical vehicles, it can move with the forces it protects.
The Rajasthan operating environment—high heat, dust and atmospheric shimmer—was a deliberate test of both personnel and equipment performance in harsh field conditions.
Yudh Abhyas is an annual bilateral exercise between the U.S. and Indian armies. The 2026 edition, the 22nd, opened on September 15 and runs at two sites: Mahajan (Rajasthan) and Auli (Uttarakhand). Each side brought about 600 soldiers. U.S. forces at these events included the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska. The exercise schedule runs through September 28.
Other activity at Mahajan during the same exercise included combined training on the M777 lightweight howitzer. U.S. and Indian artillery crews trained together on live fire, rapid repositioning and shoot-and-scoot drills. Units also rehearsed aviation, maneuver, medical and force protection tasks.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mark Giauque, the division's air and missile defense systems integrator, said defeating the small UAS threat requires interoperable forces that can share information, integrate capabilities and act as one. In this instance, U.S. personnel operated M-LIDS while Indian personnel observed and discussed counter-UAS tactics with their counterparts.
This deployment demonstrates how a mobile, sensor-fused counter-UAS capability is used in combined training to examine detection-to-defeat timelines, movement with protected elements, and system performance in a demanding environment. The event also served as an opportunity for tactical exchanges between U.S. and Indian forces as they work toward interoperability on emerging aerial threats.
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