Marine Corps launches attack drone team to stay lethal in the modern battlefield

As a result of the war in Ukraine, the use of small, commercial-grade drones in warfare has expanded rapidly since ISIS first began launching attacks with hand grenades strapped to commercial drones. Tellingly, 80% of combatant front-line casualties in the war, or about 1,000 a day, are estimated to now be caused by drones making the UAVs deadlier than artillery. The Marine Corps has been paying attention and launched its own Attack Drone Team in response. 

Drones, especially small and cheap ones, have changed the battlefield. This evolution has democratized drone technology allowing a force to field a fleet of drones inexpensively. In an effort to stay current and adapt to a changing battlefield, the Marine Corps is looking at all aspects of modern drone warfare. 

The Attack Drone Team’s goal is to experiment with drones and learn every aspect of their use, including the best way to field them. Marines will experiment both with systems that are already in the pipeline and with others that aren’t since the Corps wants to cover the entire gamut of UAVs, including numerous First-Person View options. 

Another goal is to potentially expand the Marine Squad’s lethality from roughly one kilometer to 20 kilometers through the use of armed UAVs.

The team will help develop requirements for drone systems for the Marine Corps and accelerate drone technology. 

These Marines will field drone systems in practical field exercises. They’ll practice engaging armored vehicles, personnel, and static structures. The practical exercises will allow the Marine Corps to observe the effects of explosive systems against these targets and tailor the proper drone system for specific needs. 

The Marine Corps has long relied on the Marine Corps Shooting Team to develop and field various handgun and rifle systems, optics, and more. Their responsibilities now include drones. The Marine Corps Shooting Team competes in various competitions worldwide, which will now include drone-based competitions. 

These new contests are specifically aimed at drones being used in combat situations and test pilots and spotters.

The first event the Attack Drone Team will attend is the U.S. National Drone Association’s Military Drone Crucible Championship; the competition is being hosted in Florida this summer.

The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team is a joint project between the Warfighting Laboratory, Training Command, and Weapons Training Battalion.

There is a real need to master and understand drone warfare. Small drones are changing the battlefield and proving to be more lethal than rifles and machine guns. If the Marine Corps wants to increase its lethality and maintain its ability to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy, then drones will have to be a large part of its arsenal and the Attack Drone Team is a step in that direction. 

Feature Image: U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Seth M. Utsler, an assaultman, scout sniper instructor, and Chief of the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team with Weapons Training Battalion, pilots a first-person view drone during a demonstration range at WTBn on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, March 7, 2025. Utsler piloted the FPV drone to demonstrate the capabilities of the team’s drones on the battlefield. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joshua Barker)

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