Cpl. Timothy Brockup, a first-person view attack drone operator with Weapons Training Battalion, flies a Skydio X2D drone at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., March 7, 2025. (Joshua Barker/U.S. Marine Corps)

The Marine Corps is looking to expand its use of first-person view drones, which have emerged as a critical weapon of war on the battlefield in Ukraine.

The service’s Attack Drone Team was formed in response to what it said was the “rapid proliferation” of armed, first-person view drone technology in modern conflicts, particularly in Eastern Europe, according to a Marine Corps statement Monday.

The team, which will be based at the Weapons Training Battalion in Quantico, Va., will draw on battlefield lessons to set standards for such drones in the Marine Corps.

First-person view drones typically include a camera that gives the operator the same view they would have if they were flying inside a cockpit. The drones highlighted in the Marine statement cost less than $5,000 apiece and can deliver precision strikes up to 12 miles away.

“Right now, our focus is on rapidly building proficiency by sending Marines to a variety of training courses and increasing hands-on familiarization,” said Maj. Alejandro Tavizon, headquarters company commander at Weapons Training Battalion and officer in charge of the new team.

“Our goal is to ensure they can not only operate these systems effectively but also integrate them seamlessly into a team. This means mastering primary platforms, having redundancy with backup systems, and getting the necessary repetitions to employ payloads with precision under real-world conditions.”

A Neros Archer first-person view drone sits on a case at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., March 7, 2025. The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team used the drone to engage targets on a demonstration range. (Joshua Barker/U.S. Marine Corps)

The team also will represent the Marines at national, international and interservice drone competitions.

The first contest will take place from June 30 to July 3 at the U.S. National Drone Association’s Military Drone Crucible Championship in Florida.

The team is already using several small drones and systems through the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory and will receive more in the coming weeks, the statement said.

The U.S. has long used unmanned aircraft for reconnaissance and airstrikes. But the military services are increasingly focused on adapting to the ways the technology has been applied in Ukraine, where drones have become a key part of infantry tactics.