First-Person View Drones In USMC Maritime Missions With Ground Units
by U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Connor Jenig
July 23, 2026 The U.S. Marine Corps is taking the next step forward in unmanned aircraft systems integration by deploying first-person view drones in maritime missions alongside infantry ground units. While previous testing focused strictly on proving the feasibility of operating drones from helicopters over land, this latest evolution integrates the FPV technology directly, utilizing the H-1 helicopter as a mobile, aerial control hub at sea. During a recent exercise supporting a Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) boarding team, Marines with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 169 and 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion proved that an H-1 helicopter can effectively extend the reach of FPV technology to provide real-time reconnaissance for ground forces. This integration offers a crucial new capability for the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) and the broader Joint Force by establishing a scalable path to safely combine aviation, infantry, and unmanned systems during high-risk maritime interdictions. 
June 16, 2026 - U.S. Marines with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance, 1st Marine Division, Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 169 and Marine Special Operations Command conduct an in-aircraft, first person view unmanned aircraft system integration with an UH-1Y Venom at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The collaborative exercise allowed Marines to determine the feasibility of using FPV UAS from an aircraft and evaluate how to best integrate them to increase combat capabilities and lethality. This exercise aligns with the Secretary of War’s drone dominance memo by executing his direction for operational units to experiment with drones at echelon. (Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Marine Corps photos by LCpl. Carlo SouzaDeluca.)
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This innovation significantly enhances the safety and effectiveness of Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) operations, a long-standing mission for H-1 squadrons. The exercise simulated a complex vessel boarding where, as the H-1 approached the target, a drone operating team inside the aircraft deployed and controlled a Neros Archer FPV drone.
Leveraging the helicopter’s capability to become a further reaching and mobile "command post," the team directed the drone to scout the ship’s deck and superstructure. This allowed them to identify potential threats and validate safe insertion points before any personnel were deployed to the vessel.
Traditionally, teams fast-roping onto hostile or uncooperative ships face significant risks due to limited visibility and uncertain threat conditions. By pairing the H-1’s endurance with the FPV drone's agility, commanders now have a cost-effective tool to survey a vessel, clear blind spots, and improve situational awareness without putting forces in harm's way.
The successful demonstration proved the viability of using the Neros Archer FPV drone, an existing system within the Marine Corps, as a remote extension of the helicopter’s own sensors. By enabling helicopter formations to scout, target, and provide overwatch from a safe distance, this integration reduces risk for the Marines boarding ships, making an intrinsically dangerous mission more controlled by reducing unknowns.
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