Army develops drones that can be printed in-house, assembled on the battlefield

Drones have revolutionized the battlefield, offering combatants like Ukraine a cost-effective platform to conduct surveillance operations or swarm an enemy position with reduced human risk.

The Army pushed the envelope even further when the 101st Airborne Division recently unveiled the Purpose Built Attritable System (PBAS) at its home post at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Army officials said PBAS is a term they coined to describe a low-cost, expendable, small unmanned aircraft designed for small-unit tactical-level operations.

It provides troops with first-person view drone capabilities for reconnaissance, target acquisition, and the delivery of lethal or non-lethal payloads.

“After months of expedited and impressive work, we are proud to unveil the Attritable Battlefield Enabler 1.01 (ABE) — a 100% domestically manufactured PBAS, which is completely assembled in-house at Fort Campbell, and brings rapid surveillance and future precision strike capabilities directly to our formations,” Brig. Gen. Travis McIntosh, deputy commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division, said in a statement.

“This is not just progress, it’s proof that the Screaming Eagles remain at the forefront of innovation, lethality, and agility,” Gen. McIntosh said.

The 101st Airborne’s Robotics and Autonomous Integration Directorate (RAID) lets the storied division maintain a decisive overmatch in large-scale, long-range air assault operations by accelerating the integration of next-generation robotics, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence across all warfighting functions, Army officials said.

“The RAID seeks to lead innovation by fusing emerging technologies in unmanned systems to enhance lethality, survivability, and agility,” Army officials said.

Each PBAS will be entirely manufactured and assembled at Fort Campbell and be capable of modular assembly by soldiers within 20 minutes. They are expected to cost about $750, down from about $2,400 from most commercial competitors, and capable of deploying both lethal and non-lethal payloads.

Fielding technology like PBAS is not the Army’s sole concern. Even more important is shaping how drones will impact military operations.

“The future of the RAID is not set in stone. We will listen to the commander and soldier feedback on the ground,” Gen. McIntosh said. “We envision RAID to be fully integrated, autonomous, and AI systems, whether delivered to the Army or manufactured in-house.”