The Marine Corps will soon begin equipping deploying units with handheld counter-drone systems to address the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial systems (UAS), officials announced Tuesday at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space 2025 conference.
According to Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, deputy commandant for combat development, prototype systems will be distributed to Marine Expeditionary Units and Marine Littoral Regiments starting this summer.
“We’re excited to get that out with some of our next deploying units in order to protect them on the move,” Heckl said.
These lightweight systems are designed for dismounted Marines to detect, track, and neutralize small drones.
Marine Corps officials did not disclose specific details about the technologies being deployed due to operational security concerns. However, Lt. Col. Eric Flanagan said the new counter-drone gear is simple to operate and doesn’t require specialized training.
Flanagan explained that the Marines’ existing ground-based air defenses, which are capable of countering threats like manned aircraft and cruise missiles, are not always available during small-unit operations. The new counter-drone systems are designed to address this gap.
“This decentralization of defensive measures ensures all elements of the MAGTF [Marine Air-Ground Task Force] can operate effectively in any environment,” Flanagan added.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, head of the Marine Corps Training and Education Command, stressed the need for the new technology particularly with the rise of low-cost, first-person-view (FPV) drones in modern conflicts.
He noted that the evolving threat landscape is forcing a shift in how Marines train and fight. “It has been a long time… since a member of an infantry squad had to look up,” Watson said. “Now, they do.”
The announcement follows the recent launch of the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team (MCADT) in Quantico. The team was formed to represent the Corps in inter-service, national, and international competitions and, through regular training, help advance the country’s FPV drone capabilities.
