In the evolving landscape of modern combat, small, inexpensive drones have emerged as game-changers on the battlefield. The United States Marine Corps is urgently accelerating its training and integration of first-person-view (FPV) attack drones—modified quadcopters capable of delivering precise explosive strikes—to close critical capability gaps exposed by ongoing conflicts.
Recent wars, particularly in Ukraine, have demonstrated the transformative power of these systems. FPV drones and similar small unmanned aerial vehicles provide affordable, high-precision kinetic strikes that far outpace traditional large drones like the MQ-9 Reaper in terms of cost, volume, and tactical flexibility. Adversaries such as Russia and Iran have honed these tactics over years of combat, employing drones for surveillance, targeting, and direct attacks on troops and equipment. This shift has left the U.S. military playing catch-up, as small drones were historically limited to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) roles rather than organic strike capabilities at the squad level.
Recognizing the urgency, the Pentagon under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued directives in summer 2025 for combat units to rapidly train on and deploy small lethal drones. The Marine Corps has responded aggressively by establishing the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team (MCADT) at Quantico. This initiative focuses on accelerating FPV drone integration, developing tactics, and rolling out standardized training programs such as the Small Attack Drone Operators Course. The courses are open to Marines across various military occupational specialties (MOS), with the goal of certifying hundreds of operators quickly and equipping units with systems like the Neros Archer.
This push aligns closely with the Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030 strategy, which prioritizes unmanned systems, long-range precision fires, and distributed operations suited for high-threat environments like the Indo-Pacific. Infantry squads are now incorporating dedicated precision-fires Marines, dramatically extending their reach from rifle range to several kilometers. Units such as the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) have undergone intensive three-week crash courses that include simulators, live flights, and warhead handling, preparing them for potential deployment with these new capabilities.
The race stems from several pressing realities. Hostile drone threats are proliferating rapidly, requiring Marines to develop both countermeasures and their own offensive advantages to avoid being outmatched. FPV drones, costing as little as $4,000 to $5,000 each, offer squad-level lethality at ranges up to 15–20 kilometers without the need for recovery. Unlike expensive legacy systems, they are attritable—designed to be used in large numbers and accepted as losses in high-intensity fights.
Manufacturing and scale represent another challenge. While potential adversaries like China and Russia can produce drones in the millions annually, the Department of Defense is scaling up to tens of thousands by the end of 2026, with ambitions for hundreds of thousands. However, success depends not just on stockpiles but on trained operators and refined tactics, as drones are consumed quickly in combat. Training emphasizes practical skills, with some non-traditional candidates—such as those with gaming experience or real-world mechanical aptitude—excelling in pilot roles.
The Marine Corps acknowledges that adaptation must accelerate further, but through determined experimentation and integration with broader joint efforts, it is embedding drone mastery into its warfighting culture. This initiative forms part of a larger Pentagon drive toward mass attritable munitions and resilient, distributed forces.
In essence, the Marines’ focus on drone warfare is a direct response to hard lessons from contemporary battlefields: in future conflicts, small, smart, and expendable systems will increasingly define victory or defeat. By racing to master this domain, the Corps is ensuring its Marines remain lethal and adaptable in an era of rapid technological change.
About The Author
