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August 4, 2025
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Brittany Conley, 124th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Hawkeye Platoon Leads Army Innovation With Tactical Drones, 3D-Printed Lethality

When the U.S. Army officially ended the RQ-7B Shadow platform in April 2024, it left a void for soldiers trained in unmanned aerial operations. But for Hawkeye Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, it was also an opportunity to redefine how small units integrate drone technology in the modern fight.

Backed by brigade-level funding, the platoon now leads the charge into a new era of Army aviation. The 173rd Airborne Brigade invested in four PDW C100 drones as well as a fleet of custom-built first person view drones, many designed and assembled by the soldiers themselves using commercial parts and 3D printed components.

"I flew the FPV, which is a first person view aircraft," said Army Staff Sgt. Andy Ortiz, a master trainer and drone pilot. "The reason why it could increase the lethality of the platoon or the Army in general is because it's super cheap to build and you can 3D print what you want on the aircraft. If it breaks, we fix it in-house."

Ortiz explained that an entire FPV drone setup costs around $400 to $500 and can be built in just a few hours.

"Even a beginner can build it in four hours," he said. "It's hard to fly at first, but once you learn the simulator and get good, you can speed up the kill chain. Instead of calling for fire support, someone in your platoon could take out the target with a drone carrying C4."

Hawkeye Platoon doesn't just fly drones: they build them, repair them and constantly innovate with modular payloads to simulate real-world combat effects. The unit's mobile lab functions as a forward tech shop in which soldiers can fabricate FPV parts, test explosive mockups and maintain drone readiness in the field.

According to Army Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Daniels, platoon sergeant, the PDW C100 expands even further on the tactical use cases.

"Today, we saw the PDW C100 mission sets, able to drop speedballs or any [medical] supplies to a main or forward aid station," Daniels said. "If the mission is beyond 2 or 3 kilometers, we can upload the mission and the drone will complete it autonomously and return."

With a range of up to 10 kilometers and a flight endurance of 74 minutes, the PDW C100 allows small units to push supplies or conduct reconnaissance deep into the battlespace without maintaining line of sight; an advantage especially critical in mountainous or contested terrain.

On the other hand, FPV drones, while cheaper and faster to field, require direct line of sight between the operator and the aircraft to remain effective. Despite this limitation, Hawkeye Platoon has embraced them as a powerful tool for short-range strikes and reconnaissance.

"An infantry platoon should be stacked up with FPV drones," Ortiz said. "They're cheap, easy to build and can close the kill chain fast when you attach simulated munitions."

Daniels said the training model is designed for scalability across the brigade. The drone manufacturer conducts initial instruction through a train the trainer model. Once certified, noncommissioned officers like those in Hawkeye Platoon can train other soldiers throughout the formation.

The Army's pivot to small uncrewed aircraft systems has opened the door for this kind of unit-level innovation. As warfighting evolves, soldiers must also operate within it. Hawkeye Platoon embodies that shift, transforming from legacy platform operators into agile, tech savvy instructors and battlefield integrators.

What began as a gap in capability after the retirement of the Shadow platform has become an incubator for battlefield innovation, where lethality is printed, built and flown by the platoon itself.

These real-world training exercises were conducted during Agile Spirit 25, a U.S. Army Europe and Africa-led, multinational exercise designed to enhance interoperability and readiness with allied and partner forces. Held annually in Georgia, the exercise provides a live operational environment for units like Hawkeye Platoon to test emerging technologies, validate mission sets and lead the way in shaping the future of Army lethality.