🌡️ **环境挑战显著**：美军在夏威夷进行的无人机测试中，部分无人机因当地高温、高湿及盐雾环境而表现不佳，甚至无法长时间运行。这表明不同地理环境对无人机性能有着直接且重大的影响，尤其是在印太地区，复杂的气候条件是需要克服的关键障碍。

🛠️ **现场快速响应与迭代**：当无人机出现故障时，开发人员能够迅速抵达现场，与士兵一同进行排查和修复，甚至提供升级版本。这种“转型接触”（Transformation in Contact）模式，即士兵驱动的测试、集成和改进流程，极大地加快了武器系统的迭代速度，确保技术能够快速适应实际作战需求。

🤝 **合作与经验共享至关重要**：文章强调了与业界合作以及部队之间共享经验的重要性。通过密切的沟通和协同，美军能够更快地弥合在小型无人机能力上的差距，并学习如何在复杂环境中有效运用这些技术。尤其是在印太地区，适应性强的无人机系统被视为威慑和作战的关键要素。

🌍 **印太地区战略考量**：在印太地区，美军高度依赖无人机和无人系统来应对潜在的未来冲突。因此，收集关于如何根据特定环境因素调整无人机性能的数据，并进行持续的实地训练，包括与盟友（如菲律宾）的联合演习，对于准备应对潜在冲突至关重要。

Some of the drones that the US Army tested in Hawaii struggled in the heat.Developers were on the ground with the soldiers and able to fix the drones quickly.The environment in the Pacific has been a major challenge for the US military's work on drones.

When US Army soldiers in Hawaii were given new drones to test out, some of the technology didn't last long in the island's heat, humidity, and salty ocean air.

Technology performs differently in different environments, be it desert proving grounds, Arctic Army installations and ranges, or wet, hot training areas in the Pacific. Getting drones to perform the way the Army wants has been a challenge in recent years in the Indo-Pacific, but it's a problem the service can't ignore as it prepares for the possibility of conflict with China.

At the Army's annual gathering in Washington, DC, this week, Command Sgt. Maj. Shaun Curry of the 25th Infantry Division said that some drone models tested elsewhere struggled soon after arriving in Hawaii.

"When that equipment came to Hawaii, it was 100 degrees outside," with a lot of salt water in the air, Curry said. "Those drones did not last in those heat environments."

The drones were sent out to the 25th as part of the Army's Transformation in Contact initiative, a program aiming to streamline the process of soldier-driven testing, integration, and improvement of new weapons. Feedback from that work is implemented into operational planning and tactics.

Curry said that when the drones ran into problems, the developers were on the ground to fix them. "If it didn't work right then and there, they would work on them," he said. "Then they gave you a new, upgraded version."

Army personnel have run into similar situations while operating drones across the Indo-Pacific. In some exercises, they've faced monsoon rainstorms, high winds, and humid weather that decrease the amount of time and distance a drone can fly. Island locations limit where the drones can take off from. Adapting to this particular operating environment has been a learning curve.

Having drone company technicians in the field with soldiers to troubleshoot problems has been an important part of how troops are testing these new weapons. Developers are working closely with personnel during exercises and testing, making themselves available for in-the-moment fixes.

Troops across formations and locations are also sharing lessons with one another as they figure out what works and what doesn't. Cooperation with industry and shared lessons are key as the Army looks to catch up and close critical gaps in small drone capabilities to employ them with skill to maximize their effect in combat.

The Ukraine war has shown just how impactful these systems can be, and the Army and other services are paying attention.

In the case of the Indo-Pacific, where the US military is banking on uncrewed vehicles and systems being a major element of deterring or fighting a potential future conflict, having data on how to adapt drones to specific environmental factors could be crucial. US Army leaders have also credited consistent training in the Indo-Pacific, especially with partners and allies like the Philippines, as critical for learning and readying for such a fight.