Project Flytrap

Project Flytrap is a joint U.S.-UK military program developing low-cost, squad-level layered counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) capabilities to counter small drone threats on the battlefield. Its purpose centers on integrating commercially available and modified off-the-shelf technologies—such as sensors, jammers, and kinetic effectors—into portable systems that soldiers can operate independently with minimal training, addressing gaps in existing high-end defenses like DE M-SHORAD. Key platforms and components include detection systems like Echoshield radar on Strykers, RADA RPS-42 for 360-degree scanning up to 30 km, and wearable Wingman alerts paired with Pitbull jammers; disruption tools such as NightFighter-S, DroneBuster, DroneGun, and Drone Defender for jamming control signals; and kinetic options like Smash 2000 optics, 12-gauge SkyNet net shells, shotguns, and the BLADE-enhanced CROWS with M2 .50 caliber machine guns. The program originated in the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) as a soldier-driven effort and progressed through iterations, with Project Flytrap 4.0 tested during NATO Defender Europe 25 from June to August 2025 in Germany and Poland, involving the 3rd Infantry Division, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, British 7th Light Mechanized Brigade, V Corps, Army Futures Command, and Joint Counter-small UAS Office. As of mid-2025, Project Flytrap remains in active testing and refinement, with Flytrap 4.0 concluding in late July at Hohenfels Training Area, demonstrating rapid target defeats and mobile adaptations of static systems. Strategically, it advances affordable, modular C-UAS for widespread deployment to squads, convoys, and checkpoints—prioritizing "detect early, jam first, shoot last"—to counter proliferating drone threats seen in conflicts like Ukraine, informing tactics, command-and-control architectures, and rapid integration into formations without multi-year delays.