Camp Pendleton Marines are part of a new infantry initiative to get low-cost drones into the hands of ground troops.
Marines from the Quantico, Va.-based Marine Corps Attack Drone Team were at the base last week, teaching troops from the 1st Marine Division to fly the Neros Archer drone.
The Archer is a small quadcopter capable of carrying explosive payloads to its targets. These are one-way flights — the payload and drone explode just before impact.
"It's kind of strange, but it's also cool at the same time," said Lance Cpl Nicholas Miller, a newly-qualified drone pilot.
Miller is an anti-tank missile gunner with 3rd Company, 7th Marines. His inclusion in the program makes sense — the drones could prove to be especially effective against enemy armor.
He said, although it looks like a game, there's no "easy mode."
"It does feel like a video game," he said. "(But) it's hard to start off. You have to be, like, very gentle, and the controls are very finicky. There's like no assistance at all."
It takes three Marines to operate the Archer.
The pilot wears goggles that offer a first-person view from the drone's camera. A team leader — who is also the navigator — watches another video feed and helps the pilot find their target.
A third Marine operates an antenna, keeping track of the drone in flight to ensure a steady stream of video.
The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team launched just a year ago. According to the Corps, the decision to introduce the drones came after observing the success such aircraft had in the war in Ukraine.
Lt. Col. James Nilan is the director of 1st Marine Division Schools.
"What we can see from this is a very, very cost-effective way for Marines to use a system that's incredibly lethal," Nilan said, "and to have effects that typically ... we saw in technology that was much more advanced or much more expensive."
Neros Archer drones have already been deployed as part of the military mission in the Caribbean, the Department of Defense said.
Last year, the Marines agreed to buy 8,000 drones from Neros for $17 million — that's $2,125 per unit.
The Corps is looking for even more drones — in December, it began looking for contractors who can supply thousands of drones for less than $4,000 each.
