Overview
- Marines with the 4th Marine Regiment completed the first publicly disclosed live-fire series of first-person-view attack drones on the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, conducting multiple explosive strikes during KMEP training.
- Operators used the Neros Archer FPV drone to hit anti-armor and anti-personnel targets, with company figures cited at roughly 25 km range, top speeds near 130 kph, about a 3 kg payload capacity, and the ability to penetrate about 100 mm of steel.
- The live-fire events included a sequence of dry-fire safety rehearsals before each shot and required close coordination with U.S. Army units and South Korean authorities to set airspace controls and regulatory procedures for explosive ordnance flights.
- The 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment executed the August 5 demonstration at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, reporting six strikes that media showed hitting makeshift targets roughly 900 meters away.
- The training builds on the Marine Corps' March 2025 attack-drone effort and lessons from recent conflicts to refine doctrine, tactics, and joint integration as commanders work to field FPV strike capability to squad- and platoon-level units.