Soldiers within the US Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade have undertaken an internal innovation effort to build and deploy tactical drones by leveraging 3D printing and commercial technologies.
The initiative is led by Hawkeye Platoon, part of the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment within the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
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Hawkeye Platoon saw the US Army’s discontinuation of the RQ-7B Shadow platform in March 2024 as a chance to transform how small military units incorporate drone technology into contemporary combat scenarios.
With financial support from the brigade, Hawkeye Platoon is spearheading the new initiative.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade has invested in four C100 drones and custom-built first-person view (FPV) drone fleet.
Many of these drones were designed and put together by the soldiers using off-the-shelf parts and 3D printed elements.
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By GlobalDataUS Army staff sergeant Andy Ortiz, a master trainer and drone pilot said: “I flew the FPV, which is a first person view aircraft. The reason why it could increase the lethality of the platoon or the Army in general is because it’s super cheap to build and you can 3D print what you want on the aircraft. If it breaks, we fix it in-house.”
A complete FPV drone system can be built at a cost of approximately $400 to $500, according to Ortiz, and they require just a few hours to assemble.
“Even a beginner can build it in four hours. It’s hard to fly at first, but once you learn the simulator and get good, you can speed up the kill chain. Instead of calling for fire support, someone in your platoon could take out the target with a drone carrying C4,” said Ortiz.
The Hawkeye Platoon’s mobile field lab enables soldiers to produce FPV drone parts on-demand and conduct tests with explosive mock-ups while maintaining operational readiness during field deployments.
With a range extending up to 10 kilometres (km) and flight endurance of 74 minutes, the PDW C100 enhances logistical support and reconnaissance capabilities for small units without requiring line-of-sight control.
“Today, we saw the PDW C100 mission sets, able to drop speedballs or any [medical] supplies to a main or forward aid station. If the mission is beyond 2 or 3km, we can upload the mission and the drone will complete it autonomously and return,” US Army staff sergeant Nathaniel Daniels said.
Initial instruction is provided through a train-the-trainer model by the drone manufacturer.
Certified non-commissioned officers like those from Hawkeye Platoon are then responsible for training other soldiers within the brigade.
These advancements were showcased during Agile Spirit 25, a multi-national exercise led by US Army Europe and Africa.
This development comes as the US is bolstering the domestic drone industry.
On 6 June 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to expedite the incorporation of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) across all US military facilities and ranges, aiming to streamline the process by cutting through red tape.
