Marine Attack Drone Team Leads UAV Tactics
The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team (MCADT) is turning small, low-cost drones into standard squad tools. As a result, the Corps is writing clear tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for FPV and fiber-optic drones and pushing training across the fleet.
Why MCADT matters
Low-cost drones now shape the fight. Therefore, the Corps stood up the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team at Quantico in January to convert frontline lessons into repeatable drills. The unit sits under Weapons Training Battalion and mirrors the Marine Corps Shooting Team model. However, instead of rifles, the “weapon” is a networked drone that delivers effects at the squad level.
“We need to create an organization to be the expert on what’s going on on the modern battlefield.”
Col. Scott Cuomo, Weapons Training Battalion
From pamphlet to playbook
MCADT’s first deliverable is a short pamphlet of TTPs. It standardizes armed FPV and fiber-optic drone use and gives units a common baseline. Then, the team validates those TTPs through competition and pushes updates back to the fleet. Consequently, the loop—experiment → codify → compete → deploy—stays tight and practical.
In addition, the team runs a traveling circuit to find top operators. Local events at Quantico, Okinawa, Hawaii, Camp Pendleton, and Camp Lejeune will feed a spring championship at Quantico. Notably, winners can join MCADT for future competitions, which keeps skills sharp and visible.
RF vs. fiber-optic: operating through jamming
Radio-frequency FPVs are fast and simple. Even so, they are vulnerable to jamming. Fiber-optic drones route control through a cable, so they resist electronic attack and reach longer ranges—roughly 15 miles versus only a few on RF. Therefore, MCADT pairs link type to target set and threat level rather than forcing one method everywhere.
The team also tests autonomy kits such as SkyNode to reduce link dependence. With a target lock and an onboard profile, the drone can finish its run even if the spectrum degrades. As a result, operators stay masked longer and hit rates improve.
Beyond quadcopters: modular “dropper” drones
MCADT is trialing “dropper” drones—self-propelled tubes that deliver varied munitions. For example, units can use smoke for screening, anti-armor charges for point targets, or sensors to seed ISR. In short, the drone becomes an effects vector rather than a single-purpose platform.
Force design meets $2,000 drones
Pentagon policy now treats small drones as consumables. Consequently, the price point is dropping from boutique $200,000 airframes to near-$2,000 expendables. MCADT provides the missing bridge: how infantry squads plan, strike, and assess in a drone-dense fight. Furthermore, the team’s work will flow into organic precision fires elements and scout platoons under Force Design.
Training adjusts with that shift. Checklists stress emissions discipline, cable handling, and rapid retasking under electronic warfare. Moreover, units practice kill-chain drills—find, fix, finish, and assess—so small teams can act quickly without waiting for higher echelons.
This fall’s U.S. Military Drone Crucible Championship will test MCADT against joint peers. Because stress reveals gaps, public trials help refine TTPs and highlight top talent. Meanwhile, local events give operators repetition under pressure, which classroom time cannot replace.
Allies should expect bottom-up interoperability driven by common autopilots and open mission software. Likewise, resilience will favor autonomy and fiber-optic options in contested spectrum. Therefore, industry wins by delivering reliable, swappable, and affordable components. If Marines can learn a system on Monday and replace it by Friday, it fits the model.
Adversaries also field cheap drones. Consequently, counter-UAS must detect earlier and stack effects—acoustic, IR, radar, kinetic, and electronic. MCADT addresses this with signature control, disciplined emissions, and decoys. In practice, the goal is simple: win first detection and first shot.
There is also a training risk. FPV skill fades without reps. However, the traveling circuit and the Quantico championship keep standards high and alive in units.
The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team converts a policy shift into combat power. By mixing RF and fiber-optic links, adding autonomy, and using competition to accelerate mastery, MCADT is writing the Corps’ UAV playbook—one short, clear drill at a time.
Internal link: For naval data and autonomy trends, see our analysis: US Navy AI & Data Strategy.
External link (source): Original report: Defense One — How the Marines’ attack drone team is defining UAV warfare.
Technical note
Plan mixed-link ops by default. RF FPVs bring speed and mass; fiber-optic drones bring survivability in dense EW. Moreover, autonomy cards like SkyNode support “shoot-update” profiles that keep operators masked. Before live fire, rehearse cable management, emergency break-offs, and terminal guidance.
