Weapons Training Battalion hosted the inaugural Marine Corps Attack Drone Competition from August 10 to 14 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Participating personnel from the 3rd Littoral Combat Team and 4th Marine Division performed strike planning, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance integration, urban and night operations, long-range strikes, and moving-target engagements, requiring multi-drone synchronization for simultaneous impact on target.
As reported by DVIDS, the participants faced opposing forces utilizing surveillance systems to track their positions, forcing teams to actively control their physical and electronic signatures. Lance Cpl. Georgino Perez, an FPV drone pilot with the 3rd Littoral Combat Team, noted that facing the same capabilities they operate underscored the necessity of advancing tactical proficiency in system employment and survival against uncrewed aerial threats.
The exercise provided technical data to refine instruction in long-range aerial navigation, time-on-target planning, hide-site management, emergency protective actions, and signature suppression. Col. Charles E. Anklam III, commanding officer of Weapons Training Battalion, stated that Marines gaining proficiency through advanced training and competition will return to their units to train additional personnel across the Fleet. The upcoming fiscal year 2027 iteration will integrate dedicated opposing forces and electronic warfare capabilities while extending strike distances up to 20 kilometers, following the conclusion of this year’s event where operators from the 4th Marine Division took top honors.
