The Pentagon Repeated The Ukrainian Operation "Spider Web"
- 26.04.2026, 13:58
At a training exercise in Florida.
The U.S. military recreated the scenario of the Ukrainian operation "Spider Web" at an exercise in Florida, after which it decided to reconsider its approach to defense against drones.
American special forces practiced a UAV attack, as similar as possible to the legendary Ukrainian operation "Spider Web".
The scenario was built to replicate the real methods that Ukraine uses in the war against Russia. This was reported by Defence one.
The attackers were fighters from the US 10th Special Forces Group. They used different types of drones, from simple commercial drones to more sophisticated models that are resistant to EMP.
The exercise simulated a massive and coordinated attack similar to real combat. It tested how U.S. defenses respond to complex and combined threats.
Defense officials tested different ways to detect and destroy UAVs. However, the exercise showed that familiar methods are no longer always effective.
Brigadier General Matt Ross, head of the interagency counter-drone team, emphasized that the exercise was built entirely on Ukraine's experience in repelling Russian aggression.
The main conclusion is that disparate detection and defense systems no longer work effectively. The Pentagon now seeks to combine data from different radars and systems into a single network to more quickly track and respond to threats.
It has also become clear that the US needs to develop low-cost means of intercepting small drones. The use of expensive missiles against small UAVs is recognized as ineffective.
In addition, the military has begun implementing a unified air control system similar to Ukraine's Delta. It is believed to allow faster transfer of information between bases and different units.
Operation Spider's Web was conducted by Ukraine in June 2024. Drones launched from trucks attacked Russian strategic airfields en masse: "Belaya" (Irkutsk region), "Olenya" (Murmansk region), "Dyagilevo" (Ryazan region), and "Ivanovo" (Ivanovo region).
According to the SBU and Ukrainian sources, dozens of strategic aviation aircraft, including Tu-95, Tu-22M3 and A-50, were hit.