U.S. Troops 3D Print $500 Combat Drones

Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade have begun building and flying their own 3D-printed combat drones using commercial parts and field-based labs.

At the center of this transformation is Hawkeye Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment. Backed by brigade-level funding, the platoon has become a frontline drone lab—designing, assembling, flying, and repairing their own first person view (FPV) strike drones using 3D printers and commercial parts.

"I flew the FPV, which is a first person view aircraft," said Army Staff Sgt. Andy Ortiz. "It could increase the lethality of the platoon or the Army because it’s super cheap to build. If it breaks, we fix it in-house."

Each FPV setup costs just $400–$500 and can be built in under four hours. “Even a beginner can build it,” Ortiz said. “Once you get good in the simulator, you can speed up the kill chain. Instead of calling for fire support, someone in your platoon could take out the target with a drone carrying C4.”

In their mobile field lab, the platoon fabricates modular drone parts, tests mock explosives, and keeps FPVs mission-ready. These small quadcopters don’t just scout—they simulate attack runs, drop dummy munitions, and fly custom payloads tailored to the fight.

Alongside these hand-built aircraft, the unit operates the longer-range PDW C100—an autonomous drone with a 10-kilometer range and 74-minute flight time. It’s capable of delivering supplies or conducting reconnaissance deep into enemy terrain without needing line of sight.

"Today, we saw the PDW C100 mission sets, able to drop speedballs or any [medical] supplies to a main or forward aid station," said Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Daniels.

While FPVs require line of sight, their low cost and speed-to-field have made them a staple of the platoon’s toolkit. “An infantry platoon should be stacked up with FPV drones,” said Ortiz. “They’re cheap, easy to build, and can close the kill chain fast when you attach simulated munitions.”

The drone program is scalable by design. Manufacturers deliver initial training through a train-the-trainer model, allowing noncommissioned officers like those in Hawkeye Platoon to certify others across the brigade.

The idea of building inexpensive, 3D-printed drones emerged after the U.S. Army retired the RQ-7B Shadow in April 2024. What began as a capability gap has become a blueprint for battlefield innovation—where soldiers build drones, customize payloads, and redefine combat flexibility on their own terms.

The new tactics were tested during Agile Spirit 25, a multinational exercise led by U.S. Army Europe and Africa and held in Georgia. It gave Hawkeye Platoon a live operational environment to prove what their self-built drones could do.