Marines can't replicate Ukraine's drone war, but leaders have another idea for figuring out attack drones
Marine bases to form competitive drone teams to boost much-needed skills
Competition aims to replicate the pressure of combat
Drone adoption and training are critical as technology evolves and procurement lags
Starting next year, the Marine Corps wants to see each Marine base building its own competitive attack drone teams. Leaders say competition will be key to building skills in the absence of combat.
"We can't replicate the existential threat that they feel in places like Ukraine, which forces the cycle of iteration and learning," Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, head of the Corps' Training and Education Command, told reporters Wednesday at the Modern Day Marine expo in Washington DC. "The closest thing we can do is put ourselves out there in competition."
"We think that puts us under a level of pressure that will help us to iterate faster, particularly in the first-person-view drone space, which is one of the places we've got the most room to grow," Watson continued.
More funding, held up in continuing resolution turmoil, could also help move things along.
Small, inexpensive FPV drones have come to dominate Ukrainian battlefields, functioning as readily available reconnaissance platforms and cheap precision-strike ammunition, contributing heavily to battlefield casualties.
Such warfare is unlike anything US troops have previously experienced. It's not something that can be easily replicated, but it is what leaders say they want the military training for, spurring the Marine Corps' plan for competition-driven training.
Under such a plan, Marine bases would create their own teams mimicking the services' newly established Attack Drone Team, based out of the Marine headquarters base in Quantico, Va.
Watson described the Corps' Attack Drone Team as the "leading edge" of what the service hopes to replicate across the force, including more focus on counter-UAS training and the authority for developing policies for the rest of the force.
The general compared the new goal to the Corps' marksmanship team in which Marines from across the Corps compete for top spots on the namesake team from their bases.
"The premise has been every Marine a rifleman, and we will still hold true to that ethos, with the idea being that every Marine can be lethal at out to 500 yards," Watson said of the Corps' intense devotion to ensuring each Marine, regardless of speciality, is competent shooting a target from half a kilometer.
The idea behind building these new competitive drone teams is that small arms fire is still necessary but now insufficient for contemporary conflict, he added. "Now that same individual Marine, using a different weapon system, can also be lethal out to 15 or 20 kilometers with a first-person-view drone."
Marine leaders consistently highlighted drone adoption and training as a critical need at the Modern Day Marine symposium, with small group discussions and panels comprised of combat arms, logistics, and aviation Marines trying to work through the headaches of getting drones to junior Marines quickly, in whatever way possible.
Until the service can formalize these plans, units will likely be expected to get troops trained using any scrappy, unconventional method possible.
As the DoD tries to adopt a more rapid procurement process, whatever tech various base drone team Marines use will inevitably be behind the power curve, Watson said, given the lightning pace at which this tech is evolving. But the service has got to make something coherent happen to get Marines using drones, he said. Soon, service-wide competitions will be an answer.
"We've got to field a system and get it in the hands of Marines so that we can start learning and confronting some of these problems that we're going to face head-on," he said.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Q1 Earnings Outperformers: OneWater (NASDAQ:ONEW) And The Rest Of The Automotive and Marine Retail Stocks
Let's dig into the relative performance of OneWater (NASDAQ:ONEW) and its peers as we unravel the now-completed Q1 automotive and marine retail earnings season. At their essence, cars and boats get you from point A to point B, but the former is usually a necessity in everyday life while the latter is a luxury or leisure product. The retailers that sell these vehicles therefore cater to different needs and populations. There are also retailers that may not sell cars and boats themselves but the parts and accessories needed to keep these complex machines in tip top shape. The 11 automotive and marine retail stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts' consensus estimates by 1.4%. Luckily, automotive and marine retail stocks have performed well with share prices up 11.8% on average since the latest earnings results. A public company since early 2020, OneWater Marine (NASDAQ:ONEW) sells boats, yachts, and other marine products. OneWater reported revenues of $483.5 million, flat year on year. This print fell short of analysts' expectations by 2.8%. Overall, it was a disappointing quarter for the company with full-year EBITDA guidance missing analysts' expectations. 'Our teams executed well in a challenging environment. Same store sales decreased 2%, driven primarily by lower sales in the West Coast of Florida which is still recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton,' commented Austin Singleton, Chief Executive Officer at OneWater. OneWater delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and weakest full-year guidance update of the whole group. The stock is down 7.7% since reporting and currently trades at $13.84. Read our full report on OneWater here, it's free. With a strong presence in the Southern and Central US, America's Car-Mart (NASDAQ:CRMT) sells used cars to budget-conscious consumers. America's Car-Mart reported revenues of $370.2 million, up 1.9% year on year, outperforming analysts' expectations by 7.8%. The business had an incredible quarter with an impressive beat of analysts' EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates. The market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 11% since reporting. It currently trades at $51.41. Is now the time to buy America's Car-Mart? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free. Started as a single location in Rochester, New York, Monro (NASDAQ:MNRO) provides common auto services such as brake repairs, tire replacements, and oil changes. Monro reported revenues of $295 million, down 4.9% year on year, exceeding analysts' expectations by 1.3%. Still, it was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts' EBITDA and gross margin estimates. Interestingly, the stock is up 11.9% since the results and currently trades at $14.28. Read our full analysis of Monro's results here. Largely targeting the professional customer, Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) sells auto and industrial parts such as batteries, belts, bearings, and machine fluids. Genuine Parts reported revenues of $5.87 billion, up 1.4% year on year. This result surpassed analysts' expectations by 0.5%. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts' gross margin estimates. The stock is up 7.1% since reporting and currently trades at $119.77. Read our full, actionable report on Genuine Parts here, it's free. Appropriately headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, MarineMax (NYSE:HZO) sells boats, yachts, and other marine products. MarineMax reported revenues of $631.5 million, up 8.3% year on year. This number topped analysts' expectations by 8.8%. It was a strong quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates and a solid beat of analysts' EPS estimates. MarineMax scored the biggest analyst estimates beat and fastest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is up 31.2% since reporting and currently trades at $25.25. Read our full, actionable report on MarineMax here, it's free. The Fed's interest rate hikes throughout 2022 and 2023 have successfully cooled post-pandemic inflation, bringing it closer to the 2% target. Inflationary pressures have eased without tipping the economy into a recession, suggesting a soft landing. This stability, paired with recent rate cuts (0.5% in September 2024 and 0.25% in November 2024), fueled a strong year for the stock market in 2024. The markets surged further after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, with major indices reaching record highs in the days following the election. Still, questions remain about the direction of economic policy, as potential tariffs and corporate tax changes add uncertainty for 2025. Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Growth Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. Sign in to access your portfolio
Axios
3 hours ago
- Axios
Pinellas to spend $126M to nourish storm-battered beaches
Pinellas County commissioners on Tuesday pushed forward a $126 million project to shore up the county's critically eroded beaches. Why it matters: Beach nourishment, the process of dredging and piping in sand to widen and elevate a shoreline, is long overdue on Pinellas' storm-battered barrier islands. "That sand is not just there for the tourists. It's not just there for the beauty aspect of it," Commissioner Chris Latvala said. "It's there to protect infrastructure. It's there to protect people in their homes and livelihoods and lives." Driving the news: Commissioners approved 6-0, with Chair Brian Scott absent, New Jersey-based environmental construction firm Weeks Marine to carry out the project, which is slated to begin this year. The majority of the funding will come from tourism development tax revenue. The project area spans Upham Beach, Sunshine Beach on the northern tip of Treasure Island, and a stretch of Sand Key from Clearwater to Redington Beach, excluding Belleair Shore. Catch up quick: The county project bypasses a years-long stalemate with the Army Corps of Engineers, which since the mid-1990s had handled the bulk of the cost and work to nourish Pinellas beaches every five to seven years. Such projects require workers to temporarily access private land owned by Gulf-front property owners through an agreement called an easement. In recent years, the Corps reinterpreted its own rules and began requiring all property owners within a project area to grant public access to some of their land in perpetuity — and they mandated 100% participation. With efforts to sway the Corps so far unsuccessful, and with new urgency prompted by Hurricane Helene's destructive storm surge, county officials decided to move forward with their own project. Instead of the wide-ranging easements required by the Corps, the county asked residents to sign temporary construction easements that don't mandate public access. The latest: The county still lacks dozens of easements, with the vast majority in Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores and Redington Shores, public works director Kelli Hammer Levy told commissioners at Tuesday's meeting. Workers will skip or partially nourish those areas, she said. Yes, but: The county is still accepting easements and will continue to "right up to the last moment that we can," Hammer Levy said. What's next: Officials will continue to pressure the Corps for a solution, county administrator Barry Burton told commissioners, noting the county can't afford to nourish the beaches regularly.
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
How Autonomous VTOL Aircraft Can Be The Next Transformative Technology
Matthew Graczyk is CEO of PteroDynamics Inc., an innovation leader in autonomous VTOL aircraft systems. Some technologies, like smartphones, have a transformative impact on entire sectors of the economy and our everyday lives. Advances in autonomous unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, are driving the rapidly emerging advanced air mobility sector to the precipice of such a transformation. While drones on the battlefield and the promise of air taxis have dominated the headlines, many people fail to understand the extent to which the technology and design of the drone—such as autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft—will prove to be a major catalyst for innovation and transformation. As with any big change, before a new technology is embraced, it is often met with apprehension and resistance. The wave of drone sightings over New Jersey in 2024 highlights public concerns and the work ahead for government agencies worldwide to ensure UAS aircraft are safe, accepted and profitable for operators. What will it take for advanced air mobility to take off? History offers a window into the future. By examining some commonalities between revolutionary technologies that have spurred broader economic and societal transformation, we can better imagine the transformative impact of today's advances in autonomous VTOL aircraft. What Transformative Technologies Have In Common Transformative technologies like the locomotive, jet engine or helicopter are innovation catalysts that fuel future economic and societal value. They solve problems in new ways and spawn novel solutions, ideas and entirely new business models. Here's what transformative technologies have in common: • They remove friction and solve problems more efficiently. Ride-hailing platforms exemplify this by offering simple, personalized transportation solutions. • They become ubiquitous in our everyday lives. Over 2 billion people worldwide will use ride-hailing services in 2029, and global revenue is expected to top $175 billion in 2025. • They have an expansive downstream impact on economic growth. Transformative technologies are catalysts. Silicon chip technology led to new, creative solutions, businesses and expansive economic growth that the industry pioneers probably could only have imagined. We are at an inflection point with advanced air mobility technology, and new generations of VTOL UAS aircraft will likely be transformative. Advanced designs combine the efficiency, payload-to-weight capacity, speed and range of fixed-wing aircraft with a helicopter's use-case flexibility and vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. They can take off from just about any location (no runway needed) and fly autonomously to deliver cargo to remote regions with little or no infrastructure, even in harsh weather and difficult environments, including to ships underway at sea. Traditional VTOL designs—including helicopters—struggle to complete these difficult missions efficiently and economically because of the complexity of these aircraft and the inherent trade-offs between VTOL functionality and range, speed and endurance. Continued advancements in autonomous VTOL UAS design will unlock new markets that are otherwise difficult and costly to serve with traditional manned airplanes, helicopters and boats, benefitting sectors like maritime logistics, public safety, energy and defense. What Makes Contemporary VTOL Designs Transformative Although the industry is still in the early stages of evolution, the latest VTOL drone designs and supporting technologies signal that the criteria for transformative technology will likely soon be met. Automating the delivery of high-value payloads to hard-to-reach locations removes friction, reduces costs and frees capital resources. Pulling humans out of the loop allows personnel to focus on other high-value jobs and can exponentially reduce safety risks. A great example is U.S. Navy maritime critical repair cargo delivery and resupply missions. Today, Navy MH-60 helicopters and V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft fly missions to ensure warships have what they need for combat readiness. Data from Navy Sealift Command Casualty Reports show that 90% of these parts weigh less than 50 pounds. Costs associated with the crew, maintenance, and wear and tear add up quickly on these complex and expensive aircraft. In my role at PteroDynamics, which is working with the Navy on its Blue Water UAS (BWUAS) program to address these costs and inefficiencies, I've observed how smaller autonomous VTOL aircraft are being tested to reduce reliance on costly manned systems for critical resupply missions. New economic growth and business models are emblematic of transformative technologies. According to a report by PwC, drones completed 5 million deliveries to consumers in 2024, moving $251 million in goods. Within a decade, the number of B2C deliveries is projected to soar to 808 million, and the value of goods shipped by drones is expected to top $65 billion. Beyond supply chains, high-value missions that are difficult and expensive to undertake with manned helicopters, planes and boats stand to benefit from VTOL UAS technology as well. The offshore oil and gas industry spent $3.29 billion on helicopter services in 2024. With greater endurance and range and a substantially lower cost, new autonomous UAS could handle more jobs, from scheduled and ad hoc deliveries to surveying, pipeline inspection and monitoring. Other sectors may benefit from new capabilities that have yet to be imagined. Turning Vision Into Reality Transformative technologies are innovation incubators with far-reaching impacts. For autonomous VTOL UAS aircraft to achieve transformative status like the jet engine, they must deliver economic value and a clear path to profitability for operators. Success means teaming with customers and operators on solutions that move the needle on business economics and offer pathways to entirely new business models. Being pragmatic is a good starting point to build compounding success. A litmus test we use is whether the mission involves time-sensitive delivery of important cargo to hard-to-reach destinations with no runways, which would otherwise be expensive or resource-intensive to accomplish. These are tough missions, and there is no substitute for close collaboration with customers. With new catalyst technologies, it is typically the end users who find creative new ways to leverage it. My view is that customers know their business best and will discover how to use autonomous VTOL aircraft in ways we can't imagine. Letting operators tinker and experiment is very important. As they push the envelope, it is important to meet new performance requirements, creating a virtuous cycle of innovation. Finally, progress and public acceptance move in evolutionary steps in a regulated industry like aviation, even if the underlying technology is revolutionary. History demonstrates a clear way forward working with government regulators that make guidelines and ensure safety. Commercial aviation took off in the United States in the 1930s when the government invested in air mail service and established formal regulatory oversight in the 1920s. Our industry must embrace—not resist—collaboration with international regulatory bodies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Safety Administration (EASA) to modernize rules and ensure safe operation of autonomous UAS aircraft for operators and the public. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
