U.S. Marines with 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, prepare C4 for detonation during a first-person view small unmanned aircraft system simulated sectored, simultaneous attack at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Oct. 31, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Mary R. Jenni)
U.S. Soldiers assigned to 6th Squadron, 8th Calvary Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division deploy a smoke screen during Spartan Focus at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Feb.13, 2026. Dogface Soldiers employ drones to identify enemy movements, extend reconnaissance and enhance obscuration efforts through coordinated smoke screens. (U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Jaimee Perez)
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Bryen Z. Martinez, a military police officer, left, explains equipment used for C-UAS to Col. Dennis W. Sampson, center, the Officer in Charge of Expeditionary Operations Training Group II Marine Expeditionary Force, during a C-UAS demo at The Basic School on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, Jan. 15, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Donovan E. Melendez)
Chad Sherod, 319th Security Forces Squadron lead sUAS instructor, extends his hand to catch a descending drone April 7, 2023, on Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. The 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron plans to implement the use of drones within their disaster recovery team in the event of an aircraft crash or natural disaster. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Colin Perkins)
Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
A Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) successfully launches from the flight deck of the Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) while operating in the Arabian Gulf on Dec. 16. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kayla Mc Guire)
“This first successful launch of LUCAS from a naval vessel marks a significant milestone in rapidly delivering affordable and effective unmanned capabilities to the warfighter,” said Vice…
U.S. Coast Guard fast response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1146) sails alongside a MARTAC T-38 Devil Ray unmanned surface vessel in the Arabian Gulf, June 1, 2023, during exercise Eagle Resolve 23. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. James Webster)
As the Coast Guard embraces these new systems in what it has deemed historic drug hauls, leaders are also wary about how its expansive, but tech-reliant maritime…
Spc. John Grayson, an MQ-1C Unmanned Aircraft System repairer and crew chief stands next to the MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System at Forward Operating Site Powidz, Poland, March 25, 2025. (U.S. Army photo illustration by Sgt. Charlie Duke)
For years, the MQ-1C Gray Eagle has occupied the skies for division-sized formations, but it requires a runway to launch. As battlefields become more complex, autonomized and…
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a drone demonstration at the Pentagon, July 10, 2025. The event was hosted to portray the Secretary of Defense’s initiative of Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alondra Y. Lopez Gonzalez)