US Army Hosts Ghanaian Delegation to Support Homegrown Drone Production
Aerospace News — U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa recently welcomed a delegation from the Ghana Armed Forces to Caserma Del Din for a two-day deep dive into how the United States approaches unmanned aircraft systems, covering everything from innovation and technical oversight to hands-on production methods.
A First-of-Its-Kind Visit
The Ghanaian delegation—five members strong—represented all three branches of the country's military: army, navy, and air force. Attendees ranged from battalion-level leaders to planners working at branch headquarters. Notably, this marked the first time Ghanaian officers had visited SETAF-AF specifically to discuss unmanned systems, and also the first time they toured the drone lab run by the 173rd Airborne Brigade's Bayonet Innovation Team.
Building Toward Joint Opportunities
U.S. Army Maj. Stephen Scuderi, who serves as the Ghana desk officer within SETAF-AF's Security Cooperation Directorate, described the Ghana Armed Forces as skilled, professional partners.
He explained that while the immediate purpose of the visit was to help Ghana establish its own drone manufacturing capability, the broader relationship is also opening doors to future co-production projects and potential access to Ghanaian training ranges—which would let U.S. forces test and refine their own drone and counter-drone technologies in environments quite different from Europe.
According to Scuderi, Ghanaian military leadership is prioritizing self-sufficiency, aiming to design and build unmanned systems specifically suited to their own regional conditions, with an eye toward eventually exporting that technology to other nations across West Africa.
Roots of the Partnership
This most recent engagement builds on groundwork laid back in 2025, when the commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa first discussed a bilateral drone partnership with Ghana's chief of army staff. Scuderi noted that the central objective of this visit was straightforward: demystify how in-house drone manufacturing actually works, and walk the Ghanaian delegation through exactly how the U.S. Army executes it at the tactical level.
Two Days of Technical Exchange
Day one centered on the 173rd Airborne Brigade's innovation lab, where the delegation examined the unit's manufacturing setup firsthand and watched a live flight demonstration. The day wrapped with an open discussion covering manufacturing processes, pilot training, and how the unit handles rapid equipment maintenance.
The second day shifted toward more specialized subject matter, with SETAF-AF experts briefing the group on managing the electromagnetic spectrum and electronic warfare considerations in drone operations, how airspace integration and traffic management work, frameworks for defending against hostile drones, and methods for extracting intelligence from unmanned systems.
A Scalable Model for a Smaller Force
Even though the U.S. Army dwarfs Ghana's military in both size and budget, officials emphasized that the localized manufacturing approach used by the 173rd's innovation team is designed to scale down effectively, making it a realistic template Ghana could adapt. The goal throughout the visit was to hand the delegation a tested, practical blueprint they could use as a starting point for building their own domestic drone program.
A Two-Way Learning Exchange
U.S. Army Capt. Vincent Gasparri, who leads the Bayonet Innovation Team, stressed that the exchange of knowledge wasn't one-directional. While the team's main objective was passing along lessons learned from the 173rd's own drone development journey, Gasparri said his team was equally interested in learning what progress Ghana had made on its own—insights that could feed back into how the U.S. side refines its own approach.
Gasparri pointed out that Ghana has run into engineering obstacles the 173rd hasn't had to deal with directly, such as extreme heat degrading battery performance, which has since prompted the U.S. team to start examining potential solutions of its own.
He added that working with the Ghanaian delegation offered valuable perspective on how unmanned systems perform and evolve under entirely different operating conditions, supply chains, and climates than what's typical in Europe—differences that matter for ensuring American-designed systems remain reliable across a broader range of environments. He also suggested the partnership could help build the case for a dedicated drone training and excellence center based in Ghana, benefiting both nations' forces.
Turning Discussions Into Lasting Capability
To help move the relationship from conversation to concrete results, SETAF-AF is actively working to connect Ghanaian research institutions with American universities and research centers, while also pursuing partnerships with private U.S. companies in the drone industry.
Scuderi noted that this effort runs alongside a related initiative to establish the Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center in Morocco. Combined, the two projects support a larger goal: building standardized, shared expertise in unmanned systems and multidomain operations across African partner nations.
Looking ahead, Scuderi described the Ghana engagement as a template for future cooperation, saying SETAF-AF remains ready to work with other African nations on advancing innovation across drone technology and other emerging technical fields.