The US Marines are testing flying, remote-controlled drone grenades
Images shared online by the United States Marine Corps this week show Marines conducting training exercises with the Drone40, a miniaturized, low-cost, expendable drone that can be deployed by hand or launched from a 40mm grenade launcher. While other nations have deployed the Drone40 in overseas operations, this is the first time U.S. troops have been seen training with the versatile, potentially game-changing unmanned systems, which can carry a wide variety of payloads, including various sensors or small high-explosive warheads.
The Drone40 could fit inside launchers designed to fire 40mm rounds, such as variants of the Heckler & Koch AG36 under-barrel grenade launcher.
The Drone40 is manufactured by Australian defense contractor DefendTex, who claim the tiny unmanned quadcopter can be equipped with a wide variety of payloads including full-motion electro-optical video cameras, electronic warfare systems, and laser designators, as well as smoke or flash-producing systems. The Drone40 can even be configured to carry small high-explosive or armor-piercing warheads.
The drones measure just seven inches in length and weigh under half a pound. Multiple Drone40s can operate together as a swarm after launch, or even network together with other UAS platforms to operate as a heterogenous swarm.