US Marines evaluate American-made Neros Archer FPV drone to adopt successful tactics observed in Ukraine.

On March 12, 2025, U.S. service members conducted a live demonstration of the newly approved Neros Archer drone at Range 220, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), Twentynine Palms, California. The event provided joint forces with a detailed opportunity to evaluate the drone’s capabilities, specifically its integration into Department of Defense (DoD)-authorized small unmanned aerial systems. The Archer, a first-person view (FPV) platform, is on the Blue Unmanned Aerial System (BlueUAS) list and has been approved for official DoD use.
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Built to deliver modular payloads, the Archer was tested in both long-range ground strike and aerial interception missions, using real-time video and positional data over distances of 20 km and 10 km, respectively. (Picture source: US DoD)

The demonstration was coordinated by Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, with Major Steven Atkinson serving as the exercise planner. Atkinson emphasized that MCAGCC’s land area of 1,190 square miles and its associated special-use airspace are appropriate for testing platforms with extended operational ranges. The Neros Archer drone, operating at speeds exceeding 90 mph and carrying a payload of approximately 5 pounds, was utilized in various mission scenarios. Atkinson confirmed that the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion will be among the first units to receive and employ the Archer due to their prior training with small UAS technologies.

The Archer drone was designed by Neros Technologies, a U.S.-based manufacturer that received cyber and NDAA compliance certification through the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). The Archer became the first FPV system to complete verification and receive Authority to Operate (ATO) under the BlueUAS program. This authorization allows the platform to be used globally without additional administrative approval. During the BlueUAS Challenge event held at MCAGCC in February 2025, evaluators assessed 369 proposals from 19 countries, selecting 23 platforms and 14 components for potential inclusion on the BlueUAS List and Framework. The Archer was one of three systems to receive an ATO, alongside the Hoverfly Spectre and Zone 5 Paladin.

BlueUAS evaluators assessed criteria including flight stability, ease of control, operator training requirements, range, day and night operation capabilities, and resilience to GPS denial and electronic warfare jamming. Archer met the requirements in each category. Additional selected components for the Blue Framework included radio modules, flight controllers, GNSS receivers, and transceivers from U.S. companies and suppliers. All verified Blue components are compatible with other systems in a modular fashion and do not require additional approvals.

Neros Technologies announced in March 2025 that it had raised $35 million in Series A funding, led by Vy Capital US. Other investors included Sequoia Capital, Interlagos, D3, Keller Rinaudo Cliffton (CEO of Zipline), and earlier seed contributors such as Peter Thiel, Cantos, A*, and BoxGroup. The company plans to use the capital to scale production of the Archer drone and its associated Crossbow ground control station, and to expand internal development of vertically integrated defense technologies. Neros previously secured a $10.9 million seed round and opened a 15,500 square foot facility in El Segundo, California, in 2024, where it produces and assembles key drone components.

The 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion will be among the first units to receive and employ the Archer due to their prior training with small UAS technologies. (Picture source: US DoD)

The company was founded in 2023 by Soren Monroe-Anderson and Olaf Hichwa. Both founders have backgrounds in drone racing and electronics manufacturing. Hichwa began building custom FPV drones and designing printed circuit boards at a young age, and Monroe-Anderson won a MultiGP world championship in 2020. Neros’s current staff includes engineers from aerospace firms such as SpaceX, and individuals with national security experience, including Earl G. Matthews, a former Senior Director at the U.S. National Security Council.

The Archer drone is equipped with components developed in-house by Neros to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains. The system includes a wide-band video transmitter, multi-frequency operation capability, and jamming-resistant radios. Crossbow, the drone’s control station, is built to provide a standoff distance between the operator and electronic signal emitters. The Archer is designed to fly in day, night, and adverse weather conditions. Its payload bay supports multiple battery types for mission-specific endurance profiles, and it is compatible with lethal payloads developed in coordination with Kraken Kinetics. Archer drones delivered to Ukraine under a recent 6,000-unit contract are expected to use locally produced warheads.

Neros has stated that Archer’s design was influenced by performance and scalability requirements communicated during visits to Ukraine. Ukrainian procurement officials indicated a minimum acceptable production volume of 5,000 drones per month, prompting Neros to design its manufacturing process accordingly. The contract for Ukraine, coordinated under the International Drone Capability Coalition (IDCC), is currently the largest known order fulfilled by a U.S. FPV drone manufacturer. In contrast, the Pentagon’s Replicator program aims to deliver 3,000 drones over a two-year period.

Neros claims its production system has removed dependency on Chinese components, which dominate global drone supply chains. The company highlighted its internal development of motors and cameras, traditionally considered difficult to source outside China. The company acknowledges cost disparities remain between U.S. and Chinese manufacturing, but reports its systems are still being built at lower prices than other U.S. drones listed on BlueUAS. This pricing model was cited as one reason for Archer’s selection and ongoing mass production.

The Archer FPV drone is currently being considered by multiple branches of the U.S. military, including the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, and Special Operations Forces. (Picture source: US DoD)

According to Monroe-Anderson, one challenge facing traditional U.S. drone suppliers is their low manufacturing throughput. Many U.S. companies were not structured to meet high-volume demand and continue to focus on ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) platforms with high specifications and limited scalability. These drones, when converted to loitering munitions, become single-use items with disproportionately high costs. In response, Neros designed Archer for higher manufacturing rates and reduced part complexity, removing hobbyist configurations to better suit mass production while maintaining modular design principles.

Although the drones supplied to Ukraine do not include integrated warheads, Neros has emphasized the importance of co-developing payloads with drone airframes to optimize effectiveness. Neros continues to build tactical autonomy features into its drones, integrating operator feedback to improve field performance. The company also stated its long-term vision includes the deployment of autonomous drone swarms, developed incrementally through iterations based on real-world use.

The Archer FPV drone is currently being considered by multiple branches of the U.S. military, including the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, and Special Operations Forces. Its inclusion on the BlueUAS List indicates it has passed NDAA compliance and cybersecurity review, and its modularity enables integration with other approved systems and components. Neros reports that it is focusing production efforts exclusively on the Archer platform at this stage, aiming to increase availability across operational units.

The company remains engaged in scaling production capacity and has expressed a commitment to addressing the identified shortfall in U.S. drone manufacturing. Monroe-Anderson noted that adversaries have scaled FPV drone production to millions of units annually, while U.S. capabilities remain limited. Neros aims to close this gap by producing large quantities of FPV systems that align with current battlefield requirements, as observed in conflicts such as Ukraine.