As multiple suicide drones made their way to Ain Al Asad Air Base in Iraq
during the first days of January 2022 intending to wreak havoc among the US troops stationed there,
the devices were abruptly stopped by a Centurion Counter-Rocket,
Artillery, and Mortar, or C-RAM system, which brought them down with ruthless efficiency.
Footage from the incident shows how the Centurion’s 20-millimeter Vulcan
cannon fire and an accompanying missile destroyed the drones with pinpoint accuracy.
The scale and reach of this type of attack have led the military to look for new weapon systems
that can effectively shoot down enemy drones while on the field, and the Centurion
certainly passed the test on that fateful day. Still, the enemy did not give up that easily,
and planned for a more potent attack the following day…
Anniversary Attacks
At around 4:00am on January 4, 2022, United States military personnel standing on guard
duty at Baghdad’s International Airport noticed something unusual.
The early days of January were loaded with meaning, as they marked the second anniversary
of the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s most loyal
warriors, the Quds Force. This group was part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC,
which had been widely blamed for numerous terrorist activities outside Iran.
General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis,
the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces militia group,
had lost their lives to an American drone strike near the Baghdad Airport two years earlier.
The soldiers stationed at the airport could hear a buzzing sound coming from the sky,
albeit barely. It was also tricky for a sentry to see them, but two small objects were flying
close to the borders of the Ain Al Asad Airbase. Minutes later, the sky over the airport lit up,
and a hellish echo of a minigun firing ran across the area. Two unidentified unmanned
aircraft had broken into the airport perimeter and were detected by the defensive system.
In a matter of seconds, the two hostile drones were shot down. They did not stand
a chance against the Centurion Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar, or C-RAM defensive system.
The firing bursts of the system’s 20-millimeter Vulcan Gatling cannon
got rid of the threat without any inconveniences or casualties.
Footage later published by the US and Iraqi Security Forces showed the quick response of the
Centurion and its defensive capabilities against all sorts of threats against its area of coverage.
Hours after the incident, the US-led Coalition confirmed the accident
and informed that no damage or injuries resulted from the incident. The Centurion
at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center had done its job as intended.
Looking for an Explanation
Iraqi security forces indicated that the objective
of the attack was the airport area where US advisors operate.
They also provided pictures of the drones' remains after being shot down. The slogans “Soleimani’s
revenge” and “Revenge operations for our leaders” could be seen in the wings of the kamikaze drones.
The wreckage of the fixed-wing devices was thoroughly inspected to see if they were
carrying any special ordnance, but none was found. Although no extremist group claimed responsibility
for the attack, the messages the drones carried made it clear that it was launched by the
extremist militias that seek retaliation for what the US forces did two years ago to their leaders.
However, the thirst for revenge was not over yet. In less than 24 hours, another wave of
suicide drones approached the airbase, except that this time they were carrying explosives.
Hours later, a statement from the US-led Coalition went public.
It read: (QUOTE) “Two fixed-wing drones rigged with explosives were engaged and
destroyed by defensive capabilities at the Iraqi Ain al-Asad airbase early this morning.
The attempted attack was unsuccessful. All forces are accounted for.”
The Tuesday attack was no coincidence. The militias were making a statement.
They still wanted the Americans to pay for what they did. However, they failed again.
A second video then went viral on social media. In the early seconds,
a missile detonates close to one of the fixed-wing drones.
The small-scale explosion then sends the hostile unmanned aircraft into an uncontrollable spin.
Shortly after, the enemy drone breaks up into pieces and falls to the ground in a
cloud of smoke and flames. The explosives that the drone was carrying went off seconds later.
The second suicide drone was torn to pieces by the bursts of the CRAM
at Ain Al Asad Air Base, leaving behind a few traces of debris that got lost in the air.
Although the American forces stationed at the airport did not specify the nature of
the surface-to-air missile used to destroy the target, specialists have speculated
that it may have been a heat-seeking FIM92 Stinger or a Hellfire missile.
Effective Drone Countermeasures
In February of 2021, during a speech at the Middle East Institute, Marine General Kenneth
McKenzie Junior said that drones posed the biggest threat to US troops in the Middle East
since IEDs or improvised explosive devices. He added: (QUOTE) “The growing threat posed by
these systems coupled with our lack of dependable, networked capabilities to counter them is the most
concerning tactical development since the rise of the improvised explosive device in Iraq.”
McKenzie explained that although US air defense systems can effectively detect and strike down
large drones, things get complicated when dealing with smaller drones that can be purchased almost
anywhere for less than one thousand dollars. He then remarked: (QUOTE) “These systems are
inexpensive, easy to modify and weaponize, and easy to proliferate. They provide adversaries
the operational ability to surveil and target US and partner facilities while affording plausible
deniability and a disproportionate return on the investment, all in our adversaries’ favor.”
The statement came after several drone attacks by ISIS forces between 2017 and 2019 were identified.
During firefights, ISIS used commercial drones to drop mortar rounds into Iraqi security forces, and
also used them to attack facilities that housed essential assets for the military personnel.
The rise and popularity of drones have also become a problem for the military,
government, and security forces, as the versatility of drones has been exploited not just
by terrorists but also by criminals worldwide. In Mexico, for example, multiple cartels and
sicarios have used drones to spy on Mexican Army soldiers and drop explosives on top of them.
They have even attempted to use drones to smuggle drugs into uncharted territories.
So far, the most effective asset in the US arsenal is the Centurion, or CRAM, which stands for
Centurion Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system. The Centurion is the land-based version of
the Phalanx weapon system employed by the US Navy. It is equipped with a 20-millimeter Vulcan cannon
and an array of missiles such as stingers that provide a well-rounded defense against multiple
types of weapon systems, like rockets and drones. In addition, the FIM-92 Stinger is another
effective weapon to fight off unmanned enemy aircraft. It is the MANPADS or
Man-Portable Air Defense System used by most western militaries around the world.
The Stinger’s heat-seeking capability, coupled with a proximity fuze,
can have devastating effects against any threat that poses an obstacle to infantry forces.
The Army has also experimented with Humvee-mounted M1097 Avenger short-range air defense systems.
These vehicles are equipped with a .50-caliber
machine gun and Stingers to destroy hostile drones.
Also, the Army has been testing the radar-guided AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missiles to bolster
short-range air defense systems, with the AH64 Helicopters as an effective asset that can fire
the missiles against upcoming drone threats. For the time being, the situation in the Middle
East remains uncertain, and there are over 2,500 American troops stationed in the region
leading the international military coalition fighting ISIL.
Most personnel maintain the roles of advisors and trainers for Iraqi security forces. Still, the men
have been ordered to stay alert at all times with the increasing threats of the radical militias.
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