A Flyaway Kit (FAK) is a NORTHCOM transportable counter-small-unmanned-aerial-system (C-sUAS) capability package. It combines sensors and effectors that can be rapidly deployed to any U.S. base in the usnorthcom area of responsibility.
Gen. gregory-guillot publicly previewed the FAK concept in the March 2025 CBS 60 Minutes interview, setting a one-year goal for fielded capability. NORTHCOM held only one kit as of March 2026 (src-drone-incursions-epic-fury-2026-03); additional units are due Spring 2026.
Tested configuration
Per src-northcom-drone-incursion-2026-03, src-drone-incursions-epic-fury-2026-03, and src-epic-fury-drone-defeat-2026-03:
- Wisp — AI-infrared, 360-degree motion sensor (wide-area infrared system)
- Heimdal — mobile sensor trailer using thermal optics and radar
- Pulsar — AI-enhanced electromagnetic warfare platform; RF detection and jamming
- Anvil — self-guided drone-on-drone interceptor (physically rams targets)
Crewed by 11 soldiers. The FAK engages both jamming (Pulsar) and kinetic intercept (Anvil) depending on the threat.
Operational history
- Oct 2025 — First kit, operators, and processes certified at minot-afb during us-stratcom’s Global Thunder exercise
- Feb 2026 — First operational defeat in the opening hours of operation-epic-fury; NORTHCOM used the kit’s jamming protocol to defeat sUAS over an undisclosed “strategic” installation
- Late Spring 2026 — Additional FAKs due for deployment
Development proceeds in cooperation with Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401), which by April 2026 has committed >350M to centcom’s operation-epic-fury in just the first month of the Iran war (src-counter-drone-middle-east-jiatf-2026-04). Gen. Guillot credits lessons from Ukraine — notably operation-spider-web — for the need for layered, multi-medium defeat mechanisms. The forward-deployed counterpart is the Ukrainian Sky Map platform, deployed by U.S. forces to prince-sultan-air-base in April 2026 (src-epic-fury-update-2026-04).
Sources
- src-60-minutes-drone-swarms-2025
- src-northcom-drone-incursion-2026-03
- src-drone-incursions-epic-fury-2026-03
- src-epic-fury-drone-defeat-2026-03 — Defense News; adds 11-soldier crew, named sensor descriptions, Guillot ~25% defeat rate
- src-drone-incursions-base-jamming-2026-03 — DefenseScoop; confirms “several incursions” at strategic base, jamming protocol engaged each time