Marine Corps aims for 15 ‘suicide drones’ controlled by single front-line operator

The U.S. Marine Corps sees swarming “suicide drones” as a key to survival on future battlefields.

A recent roundtable event with Capt. Matt Cornachio of Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory highlighted the emerging need for loitering munitions. Military officials see the drones as a literal lifesaver in situations where Marines do not have complete airspace control.

“It is not out of the realm of possible to think these things can be in the air for three up to four hours,” the officer told Marine Corps Times.

Marines have successfully tested a single operator controlling six drones at once, but Capt. Cornachio and other officials envision of future where 15 aircraft can fly with “minimal operator burden.”

“[It’s about] having the machines do the work for you,” he added.

One way the Corps plans on achieving its goal is by equipping future drones with automatic target recognition capability.

“The Corps already is amid plans to equip its RQ-21 Blackjack drone with the Intrepid Tiger II counter radar capability payload, according to the Corps’ 2018 aviation plan,” the newspaper reported.