uas Archives

Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones seen positioned on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) operating area, Nov. 23, 2025. The LUCAS platforms are part of a one-way attack drone squadron CENTCOM recently deployed to the Middle East to strengthen regional security and deterrence. (Courtesy Photo)

After first combat appearance, LUCAS drones ‘remain ready’ for future Epic Fury strikes against Iran

The one-way attack drones "remain ready for employment,” a U.S. Central Command spokesperson told DefenseScoop.

13 hours ago By Brandi Vincent

An unmanned aerial system hovers in the airspace above Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., during a Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) 401 counter-UAS (c-UAS) exercise Nov. 17-21, 2025. The exercise prepared military personnel to detect, identify, and neutralize such as those seen hovering. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Wesley Domalewski)

Pentagon’s counter-drone task force launches commercial solutions opening

CSOs are intended to cut bureaucratic red tape and help the government onboard new tech faster, including from nontraditional vendors.

4 days ago By Jon Harper

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Lilly Sharma, a small unmanned aircraft system operator, with 12th Littoral Combat Team, 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, operates a Skydio X2D during a small unmanned aerial systems training (sUAS) on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 6, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Robert Blanks)

As the Pentagon goes full-tilt on small UAS, some services are trying to build a new generation of drone-savvy troops from the rip

While the military boosts already-established UAS roles and inter-service job transfers, multiple services have begun to put drones into the hands or on the minds of its…

Feb 24, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence

A soldier assigned to 1st Cavalry Division uses a drone on the Hunter/Killer lane during the U.S. Army Best Drone Warfighter Competition on Feb. 18, 2026, in Huntsville, Alabama. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michelle Lessard-Terry)

Triumphs, trials and a tight timeline: the Army crowns its best drone soldiers for the first time

Col. Nicholas Ryan said the “competition is very much revealing some of the skill sets we need to improve upon and some of the training that we…

Feb 23, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Brian Kimani, a Kenya native, and a crew chief with Alpha Company, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, launches a RQ-20B Puma unmanned aircraft system during a gunnery qualification range on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Jan. 23, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Preston Morris).

Marine Corps looking into new medium-range tactical drone as it pushes small UAS capabilities

In the request for information, officials wrote that the drone should be able to launch from stationary and mobile platforms, such as amphibious ships.

Feb 17, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence

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)

Pentagon could award just 3 vendors for biggest phase of Drone Dominance Program

The Pentagon anticipates buying 150,000 drones in the final phase of the initiative.

Feb 13, 2026 By Jon Harper

PACIFIC OCEAN (June 22, 2022) The large unmanned surface vessel Nomad, front, medium displacement unmanned vessel Sea Hunter, right, and large unmanned surface vessel Ranger transit the Pacific Ocean to participate in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler R. Fraser)

Navy exploring options to solve its ‘unmanned dilemma’

The service’s new warfighting directions rely heavily on the integration of surface, undersea, and aerial drone swarms across the fleet.

Feb 11, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

A U.S. Marine with III Marine Expeditionary Force familiarizes himself with maneuvering drones during the Marine Corps Attack Drone Competition on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 7, 2025. During a two-week period, the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team trained and certified 3rd Marine Division Marines as attack drone operators, attack drone instructor, and payload specialist instructors, increasing the Division’s lethality and capacity of trained and certified attack drone operators and instructors. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joaquin Dela Torre)

Marine Corps seeks troops with small drone and AI expertise for warfighting lab fellowship

The solicitation for nominations was released Friday via a MARADMIN message.

Feb 9, 2026 By Jon Harper

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Henry David Volpe, an automotive maintenance technician with 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Combat Readiness Regiment, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, poses for a photo with the HANX drone he designed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Jan. 23, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Alfonso Livrieri)

Marine awarded for designing the Corps’ first fully NDAA-compliant 3D-printed drone at $700 a pop

Marine Sgt. Henry David Volpe, an automotive maintenance technician with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group out of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, was credited as having led…

Feb 4, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence

An F-35C Lightning II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, prepares to make an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) on Jan. 24, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Cesar Zavala)

F-35C pilot downs Iranian drone to defend USS Abraham Lincoln, Centcom says

The jet, an F-35C Lightning II, launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln, which was transiting the Arabian Sea roughly 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast, U.S. Central…

Feb 3, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence