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U.S. Marine Corps drone and counter-drone development

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-19 22:36 UTC → 2026-09-08 21:00 UTC · added removed

The U.S. Marine Corps is developing and testing various advancing its unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-drone technologies. Initial efforts focused on hardware procurement capabilities through two programs: hardware procurement, autonomous integration, and tactical testing. Under the Denied Area Sprinter-Hellfire (DASH) program, which involves the acquisition of Marine Corps has awarded a $19 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to V2X, Inc. (formerly Vertex Modernization and Sustainment) for Tempest counter-drone vehicles. Built on a Can-Am Maverick X3 chassis, these highly mobile vehicles equipped with utilize dual missile launchers and radar, radar to detect and engage Class 2 and Class 3 drones. This initial order of 10 vehicles represents one-fifth of the 50 systems originally intended for procurement. Simultaneously, the service is pursuing the High-power Microwave Autonomous Vehicle Operational Capability (HAVOC) program, which utilizes microwave energy to disrupt drone swarms. Subsequent developments expanded into tactical training and autonomous integration. Marines conducted exercises in California practicing kinetic counter-small UAS tactics using standard-issue firearms. Additionally, the service tested collaborative combat aircraft, such as the XQ-58A Valkyrie, to perform coordinated electronic warfare and autonomous recovery missions alongside crewed F-35 and F/A-18 fighters. Recent progress includes an program. An $11 million contract with Epirus to will provide the HAVOC system. This an autonomous vehicle utilizes utilizing a high-energy microwave effector built on the Epirus ExDECS platform. The Designed to neutralize drone swarms via electromagnetic pulses, the system features an antenna with three times the power of previous iterations to increase range and effectiveness while maintaining a similar size. It is designed for high-value asset protection and is capable of operating in diverse weather conditions, weather, including monsoon environments. In April 2026, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions reported successful testing of a missionized XQ-58A Valkyrie Collaborative Combat Aircraft Delivery is expected in early 2027. Developments in collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) continue to progress. Following successful April 2026 tests in southern California. Flying alongside USMC F-35 and F/A-18 jets, California, the uncrewed aircraft missionized XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrated electronic warfare capabilities and beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) command and control. control while flying alongside USMC F-35 and F/A-18 jets. The test testing, led by the Expeditionary Maritime Aviation-Advanced Development Team, included a runway-independent launch from a zero-length launcher and an autonomous return to the recovery point. Notably, control Control was successfully transitioned from a ground control station to an Autonodyne human-machine interface, allowing a Marine operator to manage the drone via a BLOS datalink.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-08 21:00 UTC U.S. Marine Corps drone and counter-drone development
  2. 2026-08-19 22:36 UTC U.S. Marine Corps drone and counter-drone development
  3. 2026-08-19 08:39 UTC U.S. Marine Corps drone and counter-drone development
  4. 2026-08-18 21:31 UTC U.S. Marine Corps drone and counter-drone development

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