US Marines, and service members from Australia and the United Kingdom, participated in a kill web demonstration aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, on 3 May 2024.
During a combat training scenario, service members from the three countries were joined by contractors from AeroVironment, an Ameerican Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) manufacturer.
Together, everyone worked to search, locate and destroy mock enemy tanks, using two inert Switchblade 600 munitions. Switchblade 600 munitions are direct fire loitering munitions systems that rely on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) provided by UAVs.
In this case, targeting was provided by an AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma as well as another Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) UAV.
The concept of operations for the demo involves troops in command operations centres using ISR to detect enemy forces ahead of troops on the ground. Once enemy tanks are detected, rear troops will launch the Switchblade 600 and will loiter until a forward Marine directs it to the target for a strike.
"These [systems] were contributed and developed by both Australian and also US industry," said Lieutenant Colonel Adam Hepworth, the Australian Army's lead for the exploration of Artificial Intelligence.
"As within the US Marine Corps and the Australian Army because this is important... this is modern warfare, what we see throughout the globe."