US Army Tests Soldier-Built Armed Drone With 3D-Printed Bomb in Germany

The aircraft was an Orqa MRM2-10, the report said. Soldiers assembled it from manufacturer-provided components, added an electronic safety mechanism and attached an explosive housing they designed and prepared themselves. The regiment named the device “Dragoon bomb” after its nickname. TechRadar reported that the container can carry nearly two pounds of explosives.

Capt. Michael Bapp, a unit company commander, said the exercise followed more than two years of development. He said, according to TechRadar, “This is a conventional Army first, potentially an Army-wide first as far as a live, kinetic drone strike conducted without any contractor support.”

The system can reportedly strike from over three miles away under guidance from military experts. An additional receiver could extend the stated operating distance beyond 12 miles, though battlefield performance remains dependent on conditions, TechRadar reported.

1st Lt. Eugene Lee, a reconnaissance platoon leader, said, “If we hit the right spot on the vehicle, we’d be able to get a 100% kill as well.” He added, according to TechRadar, “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 a ball bearings arrangement for specific battlefield applications, the report said.

Staff Sgt. Angel Caliz flew the explosive-carrying aircraft more than one mile before reaching the designated target. The flight from launch to impact required less than five minutes, while another drone transmitted the strike to soldiers watching nearby, according to TechRadar.

The effort follows the conflict in Ukraine, where cheap commercial drones, widely available since the start of the war in 2022, have changed the dynamics of the war, TechRadar reported. Drone warfare has since spread to Middle Eastern conflicts, where Iran recorded what the report described as devastating wins against the United States using cheap drones.

The US Army has begun pursuing in-house production and repair capacity, and it operates a three-week course in additive manufacturing and piloting, according to the report. The Marine Corps and Navy are pursuing their own drone fabrication projects. The Army’s experiment 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, TechRadar reported. Army officials said the system could eventually give smaller formations access to precision weapons beyond the reach of conventional equipment.

The Army compared the device’s potential 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.