First person view drones are steadily changing the nature of warfare for military forces around the globe. Fielded en masse for the first time on the battlefields of Ukraine, FPV drones are categorized as small Unmanned Aircraft Systems and often take the form of foldable quadcopters that can be built from 3-D printed materials.
Offering new capabilities of surveillance, thermal imaging, autonomous navigation and the capacity to carry explosive payloads, FPV drones have become one of the Pentagon’s top priorities in terms of scaling drone production, training savvy U.S. military drone operators and developing defenses against emerging FPV drone threats.
Last year saw a major build-up in the integration of FPV drones into U.S. military training in response to a July 10 directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which called for drones to be incorporated into all combat training. In November 2025, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll announced that the Army plans to acquire and produce one million drones within the next two to three years, and the Pentagon released a call to industry for over 300,000 small drones capable of carrying explosive payloads.
The new emphasis on drones, particularly the increased use of FPV drones by ground troops, has altered the landscape of how wars are fought and will change the nature of combat long into the future. Here are eight ways that FPV drones are revolutionizing warfare:
- Leveraging airpower on a smaller scale. For arguably the first time in history, FPV drones have effectively placed airpower in the hands of ground forces. They enable personnel with no experience in air warfare to become “pilots,” able to spot adversaries from above and have great mobility in terms of delivering strikes. Military advantages that were previously offered by larger aircraft at much higher altitudes are now in the hands of boots on the ground – with autonomous technology providing precision in navigation, strikes and tailored surveillance.
- Expanding reconnaissance capabilities. Functioning on the frontlines as ammunition with eyes, FPV drones provide enhanced powers of surveillance and are making it increasingly difficult for troops facing them to maintain the basic needs for concealment and surprise in military operations. They are sharpening the demand for military deception on both a strategic and tactical level. Skilled drone operators, such as those of Spain’s Legion Brigade that won the U.S. Army’s inaugural Best Drone Warfighter Competition in Germany last December, have proved mastery of advanced camouflage techniques and skill at stealth maneuvers in using FPV drones effectively and evading them.
- Reinventing ammunition. Capable of carrying explosive payloads to strike targets, FPV drones can be used as self-guided ammunition. When used in this manner, they are often called “one-way attack drones” or “suicide drones.” Suicide drone attacks are becoming a mainstay in modern warfare and are also being used as a tactic by drug trafficking cartels and other organized crime groups, according to a September 2025 report published by the Atlantic Council. In October of last year, three drones packed with explosives were used to attack a prosecutor’s office in Tijuana, Mexico.
- Multiplying the force used by single service members. FPV drones can be linked to operate in swarms, enabling individual military service members to field a small cohort of aerial systems each. The same technology is being used not only with FPV drones but across a wide spectrum of unmanned systems. Swarms reduce demand for human personnel in the field but at the same time increase the need for human-machine teamwork as warfare transforms into a collaboration between humans and autonomous tools.
- Increasing autonomous cooperation. Additionally, FPV drones can be paired to operate in cohesion with other autonomous systems. This machine-on-machine teaming reduces the demand for human involvement further still. Autonomous systems equipped with artificial intelligence capabilities are able to navigate independently around obstacles, relay images and information to other autonomous devices, and leverage the swarm approach in a different manner. Although human operators remain involved, autonomous systems are increasingly able to work together to perform tasks with minimal human involvement.
- Redefining battlefields. FPV drones give those using them a long reach to conduct surveillance and the potential to strike soft targets. This presents a challenge not only to the military but also to law enforcement and sparked the creation of Joint Interagency Task Force 401, a Pentagon anti-drone task force coordinating efforts between law enforcement agencies and military units to guard against new FPV drone threats to both military personnel and civilians.
- Driving the need for resilient drone technology. Although they are revolutionizing warfare, FPV drones are generally lightweight and tend to be susceptible to the elements and bad weather. They can also be deterred by very basic obstacles and can be knocked out of the sky by other drones or dragged down with nets. The demands of modern warfare will drive the development of FPV drones that are more resilient in the face of adverse weather conditions and kinetic attacks from other drones.
- Driving the need for all-round anti-drone defense. As FPV drones become more ubiquitous, so is the demand for counter-unmanned aerial systems, or C-UAS, technology. The increased use of FPV drones is already spurring the development of anti-drone technology, to include the development of FPV drones designed to hunt and kill other FPV drones, as well as the use of nets, obstacles and laser weapons.
As technology continues to develop, the reach and capabilities of FPV drones for military purposes will improve and expand. These unmanned systems have already reshaped discussions of combat. It is unlikely that FPV drones will eliminate the need for human operators altogether. However they will continue to push boundaries in terms of ammunition, surveillance, and the need for new defenses against them.
