- US soldiers in Germany built and flew an armed drone without contractors
- The live strike took less than five minutes from launch to impact
- Officers say the 3D-printed casing can carry almost two pounds of explosives
The US Army has tested an attack drone assembled and operated by soldiers, marking an unusual step toward independently produced battlefield systems.
The 2nd Cavalry Regiment conducted the live-fire exercise on September 30 2026, at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany.
It used an Orqa MRM2-10 aircraft carrying a custom 3D-printed explosive container that soldiers designed and prepared themselves.
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Soldiers build and operate the strike system
According to unit company commander Capt. Michael Bapp, the exercise followed more than two years of development.
The soldiers assembled the aircraft from manufacturer-provided components before adding an electronic safety mechanism and their printed explosive housing.
The regiment named the device “Dragoon bomb” after its nickname, with the container capable of carrying nearly two pounds of explosives.
This weapon can reportedly strike from over three miles away under guidance from experts from the military.
An additional receiver could extend the stated operating distance beyond 12 miles, though battlefield performance remains dependent on conditions.
“If we hit the right spot on the vehicle, we’d be able to get a 100% kill as well,” said 1st Lt. Eugene Lee, reconnaissance platoon leader.
“We can modify the Dragoon bomb, make it into a shape charge, which would be very effective in destroying smaller tanks.”
For the live-fire event, soldiers loaded 250 grams of C-4 alongside M6 low-voltage blasting caps.
The casing can also accommodate different configurations, including ball bearings arrangement for specific battlefield applications.
“This is a conventional Army first, potentially an Army-wide first as far as a live, kinetic drone strike conducted without any contractor support,” said Capt. Bapp.
Staff Sgt. Angel Caliz flew the explosive-carrying aircraft more than one mile before reaching the designated target during the exercise.
The flight from launch to impact required less than five minutes, while another drone transmitted the strike to soldiers watching nearby.
Army drone push builds on Ukraine lessons and in-house assembly
These efforts follow the conflict in Ukraine, where cheap commercial drones, widely available since the start of the war in 2022, have been changing the dynamics of the war.
Drone warfare has since spread to Middle Eastern conflicts, where Iran recorded some devastating wins against the U.S. using cheap drones.
The US Army has begun pursuing in-house production and repair capacity of its own after watching how the war unfolded in Ukraine.
It now operates a three-week course in additive manufacturing and piloting, while the Marine Corps and Navy pursue their own drone fabrication projects.
The Army’s experiment therefore combines commercially sourced aircraft components with locally produced additions and soldier-level assembly.
Col. Timothy Price said the exercise showed how existing equipment could be adapted while soldiers develop capabilities without relying entirely on external support.
Army officials said its system could eventually give smaller formations access to precision weapons beyond the reach of conventional equipment.
The US Army even compared the potential of this device with the AT4, which soldiers commonly use against armored threats at relatively short engagement distances.
The unit’s account suggests squads could gain precision strike options cheaply, though one success says little about performance against moving or defended threats.
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