The U.S. Marine Corps has officially established the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team (MCADT), a new unit tasked with integrating armed first-person view (FPV) drones into frontline operations.
The move reflects a growing recognition of FPV drones as an increasingly vital component of small-unit warfare.
According to the Marine Corps, MCADT was formed on January 3, 2025, under the direction of Maj. Gen. Anthony M. Henderson of Training Command and Brig. Gen. Simon M. Doran of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. The new team will operate from Weapons Training Battalion at Marine Corps Base Quantico.
“We are ensuring that Marines remain agile, adaptive, and lethal in the modern battlespace,” said Maj. Alejandro Tavizon, who commands the unit.
The creation of MCADT comes amid growing battlefield reliance on drones, especially in conflicts such as Ukraine, where low-cost FPV drones have disrupted enemy formations and provided accurate battlefield intelligence. U.S. defense officials have highlighted the need to rapidly adopt and deploy these systems.
MCADT will serve as the Marine Corps’ center of excellence for FPV drone tactics, training, and competition. The team will also work closely with the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory and the Marine Corps Shooting Team to integrate lessons from combat and drone competitions.
The Marine Corps said it will deploy several types of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) in the program, including both program-of-record and experimental drones. These platforms are capable of carrying out precision strikes at distances up to 20 kilometers for under $5,000 per unit.
Tavizon emphasized that the unit’s approach will focus on “mastering primary platforms, having redundancy with backup systems, and getting the necessary repetitions to employ payloads with precision under real-world conditions.”
MCADT will make its public debut during the U.S. National Drone Association’s Military Drone Crucible Championship this summer in Florida, where it will compete against other elite military units, including the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment. Marines will conduct tactical FPV drone missions in simulated combat environments as part of the event.
Officials say the program will expand in fiscal year 2026 with a final championship and selection event at Quantico. Lessons learned from these exercises will help inform Marine Corps procurement decisions and future doctrinal updates related to drone warfare.
The Marine Corps says MCADT is part of a broader effort to modernize its small-unit capabilities and provide Marines with cost-effective, scalable solutions to compete in contested environments.