> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.adriadefense.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # US Army Tests FD-1 Drone Interceptor From Stryker Vehicle in Poland - URL: https://www.adriadefense.com/us-army-tests-fd-1-drone-interceptor-from-stryker-vehicle-in-poland/ - Published: 2026-11-08T08:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-08T08:00:00.000Z - Description: American air defense units have assessed the Mountain Horse Solutions FD-1 interceptor in Poland as the U.S. Army looks for more affordable ways to defeat large numbers of hostile drones. - Author: AdriaDefense Desk - Tags: Poland, CEE, Drones, Industry, U.S. Army The U.S. Army has completed a five-day assessment of the FD-1 drone interceptor in Poland, testing a system designed to give air defense units a lower-cost option against the growing threat of massed unmanned aircraft. The evaluation took place from November 2 to 6 at the Ustka Training Area on Poland's Baltic coast, according to the U.S. Army's 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. The exercise, designated Operation Audacious Fury, was led by the Tactics, Integration and Employment Battery of the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, part of the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade. U.S. Army photographs from the assessment show an FD-1 interceptor being launched from an SGT Stout Stryker-based short-range air defense vehicle. ## Building a Lower-Cost Counter-Drone Capability The evaluation focused on how the FD-1 could help defeat Group 1 through Group 3 unmanned aircraft, including threats involving multiple drones. The Army is seeking alternatives to engagements in which expensive air defense missiles are used against considerably cheaper unmanned aircraft. Lt. Col. John Verwiel, commander of the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, said the objective was to develop affordable counter-drone options without relying unnecessarily on high-end munitions. The FD-1 is produced by Mountain Horse Solutions, a U.S. company within Global Ordnance. According to the manufacturer, the single-operator interceptor can be prepared and launched in less than two minutes. It can operate independently or be integrated with existing detection and tracking systems. The manufacturer says its design maintains human authorization over engagements. The Ustka assessment was not limited to the interceptor's technical capabilities. It also examined how soldiers could be trained to operate the system and how standardized procedures could support wider adoption. ## Poland Trials Could Support Wider Army Deployment Staff Sgt. Felix Aguilar, a platoon sergeant with the participating battery, described the exercise as an effort to develop operating procedures and certification standards for soldiers without prior FPV drone experience. The participating unit is expected to help train personnel from other formations under U.S. Army Europe and Africa as the program advances. The tests follow a second U.S. Army order for FD-1 interceptors awarded to Mountain Horse Solutions in October through the Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate. The company said it had incorporated feedback from earlier Army assessments into successive hardware improvements, reflecting a procurement approach intended to shorten the time between testing and fielding. The Army's November announcement did not provide verified interception success rates or the cost per FD-1 interceptor. For military planners, the assessment highlights a broader change in short-range air defense: developing sufficient numbers of relatively inexpensive interceptors while preserving more sophisticated missiles for higher-value threats. Poland is becoming an important testing and procurement location for these technologies. The country is also developing its own layered counter-drone network through the [SAN air defense program](https://www.adriadefense.com/polands-san-counter-drone-program-faces-delivery-questions-as-pgz-rejects-delay-claims/), which combines sensors and multiple types of interception systems.