Marines Placing Small UAVs into Ground Combat Element, As Aviators Still Refining Large UAS...

While the Marine Corps is still charting its path forward for large drones, the service is moving smaller unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) into its ground combat units.

Speaking over the weekend at a panel during the Tailhook Association’s virtual symposium, Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Aviation Lt. Gen. Mark Wise said the service still plans to have the larger Group 5 UAV capabilities housed in the aviation combat element and to send the smaller UAVs to the ground community to directly support their missions.

“Initially, as we look at how our unmanned side is going to evolve, we’re taking a lot of the Group 1 through 3 capabilities and moving them into the ground combat element. They will receive some support from us, but it will be resident within their maneuver units, when you start looking at the Littoral Regiments and so forth,” he said.
“As we look at the larger ones, the Group 5 capabilities and the Medium Altitude Long-Endurance … that will continue to be resident on the aviation side of the house for all of the man, train and equip side of that.”