Marines Ramp Up Drone Pilot Training to 500 Per Year

New 15-day crash course teaches Marines to fly, navigate, and deploy explosives from drones

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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The U.S. Marine Corps is launching a new fast-paced 15-day training program to rapidly certify 500 Marines per year as attack drone operators. The course covers everything from flying drones in simulation to handling explosive payloads on real drones like the Marine Corps' Neros Archer. The goal is to spread drone warfare skills across the force as the military seeks to "unleash" U.S. drone dominance in response to the evolving drone tactics seen in the war in Ukraine.

Why it matters

Drone warfare has become a critical capability on modern battlefields, as seen in the war in Ukraine. The Marine Corps is working to quickly build proficiency in drone operations across its ranks, rather than limiting it to specialized roles, in order to integrate drones seamlessly into team-based tactics and respond to the rapid evolution of drone technology and countermeasures.

The details

The new Marine Corps training course packs a lot into 15 days, teaching students how to fly drones, handle aerial navigation, and safely prepare and deploy explosive payloads. Marines start on simulators before moving to cheap, expendable drones and then more complex systems like the Neros Archer. The focus is on mission execution, safety, and team-based tactics, with students rotating through different roles like pilot, team leader, and payload preparation. Instructors say the biggest challenge is teaching aerial navigation to Marines who have little prior flying experience.

  • The Marine Corps began authorizing more widespread drone training late last year as part of a Pentagon-wide push.
  • The new training course has so far certified 75 Marines as attack drone operators and aims to graduate 500 per year.

The players

1st Lt. Braeden McClain

An infantry officer overseeing the new drone training course.

Maj. Alejandro Tavizon

The headquarters company commander at Weapons Training Battalion, which oversees the Marine Corps' Attack Drone Team.

Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson

Oversees the Marine Corps' Training and Education Command and has called for fielding drones "at scale" to address evolving battlefield needs.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Issued a memo directing the Pentagon to quickly overhaul drone acquisition and fielding processes to "unleash" U.S. military drone dominance.

Neros Archer

A small drone built in-house by the Marine Corps that received a $17 million contract last year for around 8,000 units.

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What they’re saying

“The simulators allow them to develop the core skills that we can then transition to our smaller drone for them to refine.”

— 1st Lt. Braeden McClain, Infantry officer overseeing the drone training course (Business Insider)

“We've noticed that really the issue that most Marines struggle with is not the actual flying of the drone itself; it's kind of some of the more fundamental concepts, like aerial navigation.”

— 1st Lt. Braeden McClain, Infantry officer overseeing the drone training course (Business Insider)

“Our acquisition system is designed to reduce acquisition risk to zero. We've got to field drones at scale in order to be able to pressurize our training, really to work through some of the real hard problems.”

— Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, Oversees the Marine Corps' Training and Education Command (Business Insider)

What’s next

The Marine Corps is seeking to add 10,000 drones to its inventory over the coming year as part of the broader Pentagon push to rapidly field more attack drones.

The takeaway

The Marine Corps' new drone training program reflects the military's urgent need to build widespread drone warfare capabilities to keep pace with the rapidly evolving tactics and technology seen on modern battlefields, like those in the war in Ukraine. By training 500 new drone pilots per year, the Marines aim to integrate drones seamlessly into team-based operations and respond quickly to emerging threats.