VICENZA, Italy – A collaborative effort between the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade’s Bayonet Innovation Team (BIT) and the Multi-Domain Command Europe (MDCE) highlighted the importance of bottom-up innovation at the inaugural LANDEURO Symposium and Exposition held on July 16–17 in Wiesbaden, Germany.
The event served as a platform for both teams to discuss their in-house drone laboratories designed to develop unmanned aerial systems tailored for specific mission requirements.
This initiative is pivotal in fostering autonomy and scalable innovation within Army units, aligning with the broader Army Transformation Initiative.
Regular exchanges of knowledge and expertise between the 173rd’s BIT and MDCE’s innovation team have proven beneficial, with the teams consulting approximately 100 external entities in their innovation efforts.
“I’m proud to say that I walked around LANDEURO and knew a lot of the industry part or private industry teams very well,” stated U.S. Army 1st Lt. Vincent Gasparri, director of the 173rd’s BIT.
Such industry engagement demonstrates the team’s commitment to enhancing both their capabilities and the overall innovation ecosystem within the Army.
LANDEURO also allowed the 173rd’s BIT to reinforce partnerships with other innovation teams, facilitating face-to-face discussions and the exchange of technical knowledge.
Gasparri emphasized the significance of collaboration, particularly with strategic units like the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force and the 56th Fires (MCDE), stating that their work is bolstered by technical experts from U.S. European Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
The symposium underscored the value of in-person collaboration, strengthening the alignment between MDCE and 173rd’s BIT on design sharing and enhancing the Army’s innovation capabilities at both tactical and strategic levels.
Despite operating at different echelons, both the 173rd and MCDE units face similar challenges with their internally developed drone systems.
The 173rd focuses on purpose-built, attritable first-person view (FPV) drones aligned with rapid-deployment tactical missions, while the MCDE develops intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance-capable systems to support strategic long-range fires.
To foster collaboration, these units share computer-aided design files and parts lists, a practice that accelerates innovation across the Army.
The BIT at the 173rd demonstrates a commitment to bottom-up innovation, integrating FPV drones into live-fire training, and certifying non-tactical unmanned aerial system operators who construct their drones from scratch.
In fact, they recently conducted the brigade’s first FPV drone live-fire exercise on autonomous moving targets during Swift Response 2025 at Pabrade Training Area in Lithuania on May 18, 2025.
Collaboration remains central to the innovative efforts of both teams.
Ahead of LANDEURO, the 173rd’s BIT collaborated closely with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment’s (2CR) innovation team by sharing best practices and code regularly.
U.S. Army Capt. Ronan Sefton, an intelligence officer with a previous assignment at 2CR, highlighted this multi-unit approach during an interview at Balli Airfield in Vilseck, Germany.
He explained the transformative impact of the 2CR’s drone innovation lab, which provides a shared environment allowing various units to develop and share drone capabilities more effectively.
“What’s great about this space is that 2CR can be here and the 173rd’s here, and we’re constantly working together to improve each other’s designs,” Sefton elaborated.
The 2CR’s small unmanned aerial systems program operates a multi-patch drone innovation lab, equipped with soldering stations and 3D printers, which produced 30 purpose-built drone systems from February to April 2025.
This showcases the rapid prototyping capabilities of the collective efforts within this innovative ecosystem.
Sefton highlighted the adaptive nature of their designs, noting that there isn’t a lengthy research or testing timeline, allowing them to respond quickly to evolving operational needs.
The LANDEURO event reinforced the commitment of these innovative teams to cooperation, innovation, and readiness.
Their shared experiences and ongoing collaboration reflect the U.S. Army’s dedication to maintaining readiness and enhancing lethality in a rapidly changing security environment.
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