Neros Technologies shrinks its attack drone controller by half

A Los Angeles-based drone technology company has redesigned its ground control station for FPV attack drones to fit on a soldier’s body armor, cutting total system size by more than half while preserving the full 25-kilometer (15.5-mile) operational range that the previous version offered, and is already delivering the new hardware to customers.

Neros Technologies announced Crossbow Block 2, the next-generation controller for its Archer first-person-view drone platform, describing it as the direct product of operator feedback from personnel using the system in contested environments where the size, weight, and reliability of the control equipment directly affects mission outcomes and crew survivability.

The first-person-view drone has become one of the defining weapons of the current era of warfare, moving from a niche combat technology in 2022 to a mass-produced tactical system used by both sides in Ukraine in numbers that now exceed the consumption of virtually any other weapon category on the battlefield. An FPV drone, so named because the pilot wears video goggles that display a live feed from a camera on the aircraft, can be built from commercial components for a few hundred dollars and guided to a target with precision that unguided munitions cannot match. The combination of low cost, high accuracy, and the ability to strike from unexpected angles has made FPV drones responsible for a substantial proportion of armored vehicle, artillery, and personnel casualties in Ukraine, and the technology has proliferated rapidly to other conflict zones and other actors. The ground control station, the hardware that pilots use to fly the drone and receive its video feed, determines the range, reliability, and operational flexibility that operators can achieve.

Neros Technologies developed the Archer FPV platform and its associated Crossbow control system specifically for military applications in contested electromagnetic environments, where commercial off-the-shelf drone controllers face disruption from jamming systems that adversaries deploy specifically to cut the link between pilot and aircraft. The Crossbow Block 2’s maintained 25-kilometer (15.5-mile) range represents a significant operational advantage over typical FPV drone control systems, which often operate at ranges of 5 to 10 kilometers (3.1 to 6.2 miles) under favorable conditions and considerably less when electronic warfare systems are active. Preserving that range while cutting the entire system’s size by more than 50 percent addresses a constraint that operators consistently identify as limiting their tactical flexibility: a ground control station that requires a dedicated vehicle or static setup ties operators to positions that adversary surveillance can identify and target.

The wearability of the complete Crossbow Block 2 system, with both the radio and pilot box fitting on a plate carrier, the body armor vest that soldiers and operators wear in combat, transforms how FPV drone operations can be conducted. An operator who carries the entire control system on their body can move continuously, maintain cover, and reposition in response to the tactical situation without being anchored to a vehicle or fixed location. That mobility matters particularly in the near-peer conflict environment that Neros is designing for, where static positions become targets and operators who remain stationary for extended periods face counter-battery fire, counter-drone attacks, or direct engagement. The system also retains a displaced radio configuration for missions where the operator chooses to separate the radio antenna from the pilot position to optimize signal geometry without compromising their own position.

The antenna improvements in Block 2 address a specific operational challenge that FPV drone operators frequently encounter under stress: managing antenna orientation while simultaneously flying the aircraft and tracking a moving target. Standard directional antennas require the operator to point them toward the drone for maximum signal strength, which adds a coordination task on top of the already demanding work of flying an FPV at speed toward a target. Crossbow Block 2 more than doubles the antenna beam width and adds dual receivers for redundancy, allowing operators to concentrate on the aircraft and the mission without simultaneously managing antenna alignment. The redesigned antennas also feature reduced physical profile and reinforced joints, improving durability against the physical punishment that field equipment routinely sustains during transport, handling, and use.

The push-pull harness connections for goggles, handset, and radio solve a failure mode that operators have reported in previous generations of drone control hardware: connectors that require careful alignment to seat properly become serious liabilities when operators are working in darkness, wearing gloves, or under the time pressure of an active mission. A push-pull connector locks securely with a simple linear motion and releases cleanly when needed, eliminating the fumbling and partial connections that can cause a system to fail at the worst possible moment. The improved analog-to-digital video conversion with low-latency, high-resolution USB output also enables integration with ATAK, the Android Team Awareness Kit that has become the standard tactical mapping and situational awareness platform across U.S. and allied special operations and conventional forces, allowing the drone’s video feed to appear directly in the digital common operating picture that commanders use to track and coordinate ground actions.

Neros Technologies confirmed that Crossbow Block 2 is delivering to customers currently and will be fielded in Gauntlet 2 of the Drone Dominance program, the Department of War’s $1.1 billion initiative to deliver more than 300,000 small tactical drones to U.S. forces by 2027. Presence in the Drone Dominance qualification pipeline places Neros in the competitive field that the Department of War is using to identify its prime vendors for drone and counter-drone capabilities, and fielding an upgraded ground control station at that evaluation event gives Army evaluators the opportunity to assess Block 2’s performance under the structured testing conditions that inform procurement decisions.