Exclusive Report: U.S. Army tests armed First Person View drones for combat operations on modern battlefield.

According to information published by the U.S. Department of Defense on July 22, 2025, the United States Army has initiated field trials of armed First Person View (FPV) drones under live-fire conditions in the forests of Germany as part of its TiC (Transformation in Contact) modernization effort. Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division are conducting these trials with FPV drones designed as low-cost, munitions capable of striking moving or stationary targets, highlighting a significant step in the Army’s evolution toward decentralized, drone-enabled lethality at the tactical level.
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U.S. Army Sergeant Elena Killough from the Deathwatch Platoon, 10th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, displays a fully assembled First Person View drone before a flight qualification at Grafenwöhr Training Area on July 21, 2025. (Picture source: U.S. DoD)

The development of the U.S. Army's use of armed FPV (First Person View) drones marks the first operational application of Purpose Built Attritable Systems (PBAS), a category of FPV drones engineered to deliver both lethal and non-lethal payloads while maintaining affordability and tactical portability. With each PBAS drone package including FPV goggles, a controller, a display unit, and a mix of 10" and 5" air vehicles at a unit cost of approximately $5,000, the system is designed to be scalable and rapidly fieldable across a range of combat formations. The live-drone missions executed in Germany are intended to validate PBAS effectiveness in wet, forested terrain and to refine operational drone tactics as part of TiC 2.0 experimentation.

An FPV drone, or First Person View drone, is a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) piloted remotely by an operator using a head-mounted display or screen that receives live video feed from a forward-facing camera onboard the drone. This configuration gives the pilot a real-time view as if they were inside the drone, allowing for precise maneuvering and target acquisition in confined or complex environments. Unlike traditional autonomous or pre-programmed drones, FPV drones are manually flown and offer unmatched control for close-quarters navigation, making them ideal for strike missions, reconnaissance, and support operations in dense urban or natural terrain. When configured as loitering munitions, these drones can carry explosive payloads and be guided directly into enemy positions with high accuracy and tactical surprise.

FPV drones can be equipped with a variety of munitions tailored to mission requirements and target profiles. Lethal payloads may include anti-armor shaped charges, high-explosive fragmentation warheads, or improvised explosive devices capable of neutralizing light vehicles, defensive positions, or enemy personnel. In a non-lethal configuration, FPV drones can be adapted to deliver electronic warfare modules, smoke canisters, flashbangs, or chemical irritants for crowd control or disruption missions. Their flexible payload capacity makes them suitable for a wide spectrum of tactical applications, including direct attack on armored or soft-skinned vehicles, suppression of enemy air defenses, clearing of trench lines, breaching fortified positions, or disabling infrastructure such as radar arrays or command posts.

These drones are particularly effective in close-combat support roles, where ground forces require immediate and precise firepower to overcome fortified enemy positions or defend against counterattacks. Their agility and small size make them difficult to detect and engage by traditional air defense systems, and their first-person navigation enables operators to strike with precision in cluttered and dynamic environments such as urban combat zones, forested areas, and mountainous terrain. FPV drones also enhance special operations capabilities by enabling silent and low-signature attacks behind enemy lines without risking personnel.

The tactical adoption of FPV drones by the U.S. Army is directly influenced by battlefield innovations observed during the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, where FPV drones first emerged as a game-changing technology. Since early 2022, both Ukrainian and Russian forces have employed FPV drones to deliver direct-strike capabilities at a fraction of the cost of traditional precision munitions. Ukraine, in particular, pioneered the wide-scale use of low-cost FPV drones configured as loitering munitions to target armored vehicles, artillery positions, and even dismounted troops with high accuracy and minimal logistical burden. These drones, often modified commercial platforms, have demonstrated how small, nimble, and manually piloted systems can bypass traditional defenses and deliver devastating effects, changing the calculus of land warfare.

In the context of modern combat, FPV drones offer a suite of advantages that significantly enhance battlefield effectiveness. Their small size and agility enable them to maneuver through urban, forested, or cluttered environments where larger UAVs cannot operate safely. Equipped with explosive payloads or reconnaissance modules, FPV drones can function as precision-guided munitions or real-time surveillance tools depending on mission requirements. The first-person navigation system allows the operator to guide the drone with near-visual accuracy, enabling complex engagements against mobile or partially hidden targets.

Moreover, FPV drones support distributed and decentralized warfare by allowing small units to engage enemy assets independently, reducing reliance on larger and more vulnerable systems such as artillery or crewed vehicles. Their low cost and expendable nature make them ideal for saturation attacks, diversionary tactics, and high-risk strikes on high-value targets. They also offer significant logistical advantages by being lightweight, modular, and easy to transport, store, and deploy under battlefield conditions.

As the U.S. Army continues to integrate PBAS and FPV drones into its combat formations, the experience gathered in these early tests will shape future doctrine and procurement. The objective is clear: to deliver affordable, precise, and adaptive drone capabilities directly to the edge of the battlefield, empowering Soldiers with cutting-edge tools to dominate across domains.