The 3rd Brigade Combat Team (3rd BCT) of the 1st Cavalry Division took part in the semi-annual Combined Resolve exercise in Germany, where it faced off with a dedicated U.S. Army OPFOR (opposing force) unit augmented by the 412th Unmanned Systems Brigade, better known as 412 Nemesis, an elite multidomain Ukrainian unit primarily operating drones. According to the Wall Street Journal, the 3,500-strong unit, which was tasked to attack the OPFOR, had many of its tanks and other armored vehicles eliminated during the simulated engagements.
The 3rd BCT is quite a powerful unit, and has been traditionally equipped with M1 Abrams tanks, M2 and M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, M109 Paladin Howitzers, and more. It also had standard electronic warfare and counter-drone operators to protect its vehicles against new threats. But despite the impressive armor and firepower of its equipment and the additional protection of its own specialized anti-drone troops, the 3rd BCT still didn’t stand a chance against the small and nimble drones of 412 Nemesis. It turned out that the biggest assets of the 3rd BCT are its biggest weakness. As the heavy vehicles maneuvered around the battlefield, they threw up plumes of dust that made them easy to spot by Ukrainian recon drones. From there, the UAV operators of 412 Nemesis turned these metal predators into sitting ducks as they either dropped bombs or explosives from loitering attack drones or used first-person-view (FPV) drones to smash directly into their targets.
