The mock battle was part of Cobra Gold, the largest exercise in mainland Asia and has taken place annually since 1982.
Among other things, the seemingly interminable war between Russia and Ukraine has significantly upped the ante in the technology battle between drones/unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)/unmanned aerial systems (UAS) on the one hand and air defense systems—more specifically counter-UAS technologies—on the other hand. This was most recently seen in Great Britain’s decision to supply the Gravehawk air defense system as well as the Thales “Martlet” Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) to Kyiv.
Meanwhile, the high-stakes anti-drone game certainly hasn’t been limited to Europe. U.S. troops recently participated in an exercise in Thailand where they experimented with a new weapon system known as the Dronebuster.
“Who You Gonna Call? Dronebusters!”
The news of this latest technology comes to us from Alex Wilson in a March 3, 2024, article for Stars & Stripes titled “US soldiers test Dronebuster prototype during mock battle in Thailand.” To wit:
“The handheld electronic device emitselectromagnetic signals designed to disrupt or disable unmanned aerial systems … During Saturday’s training, the targeted drones simply reversed course. In a real combat scenario, they would likely fall from the sky, said Capt. Tyler Schultz, an observer coach and trainer with the196th Infantry Brigade, based at Fort Shafter, Hawaii … The swarm attacked twice during the drill, but not all drones were repelled in time; those that made it through resulted in simulated explosions near the troops, all from the4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colo.”
The Brains Behind the Buster
The Dronebuster was designed and developed by Radio Hill Technologies (RHT), now part of Flex Force Enterprises, a DZYNE Technologies company headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It is the only handheld electronic attack system approved by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for neutralizing UAVs. According toAirforce Technology, the system has the following tech specs:
Length: 21 inches (Block 3 variant) or 22 inches (Block 3B and SNA variants)
Width: 6.5 inches (Block 3) or 5.5 inches (Block 3B and SNA)
Height: 11 inches (Block 3) or 10.5 inches
Weight: 4 lbs. (Block 3), 6.4 lbs. (Block 3B), or 5.5 lbs. (SNA)
The Bigger Picture of U.S.-Thailand Relations
The mock battle was part of Cobra Gold, which, as noted by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, is the largest exercise in mainland Asia and has taken place annually since 1982. More than 3,200 U.S. troops participated in this year’s edition, along with troops from Thailand, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
This joint Thai-U.S. training exercise took place in spite of a recent major flap in relations between the two longtime allies. In late February 2025, the Thai government deported forty-five Uyghur refugees (a predominantly Muslim ethnic group) back to the People’s Republic of China, prompting a sharp condemnation from U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio:
“As Thailand’s longstanding ally, we are alarmed by this action, which risks running afoul of its international obligations under the UN Convention Against Torture and the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. This act runs counter to the Thai people’s longstanding tradition of protection for the most vulnerable and is inconsistent with Thailand’s commitment to protect human rights. We urge all governments in countries where Uyghurs seek protection not to forcibly return ethnic Uyghurs to China.”
The action drew an even stronger condemnation from U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ, District 4), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who co-chairs both the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the Uyghur Caucus. Smith called on the U.S. government to impose sanctions on Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and her family.
However, judging by the continuity of exercises like Cobra Gold, it’s doubtful that Smith’s call is going to be heeded anytime soon, if ever. A cynic might be inclined to cite it as an example of pragmatism over principles.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor forNational Security Journal (NSJ) and19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published inThe Daily Torch,The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, andSimple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of theNaval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at theOld Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
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