U.S. Army expands tactical drone live-fire training at Fort Rucker

FORT RUCKER, Alabama — The Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course (UALC) at Fort Rucker has increased its live kinetic drone engagements from five to 12 per class, according to officials who confirmed the change on July 28, 2026.

The course, which launched in August 2025, trains soldiers to operate small first-person-view (FPV) drones armed with real explosive payloads against targets — a shift from simulation-based training. The increase in live-fire exercises reflects an ongoing effort to sharpen the program's tactical rigor, according to Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Gatta, the course manager, and Staff Sgt. Mario Rostran, the noncommissioned officer in charge.

"We're continuing to improve the course," Rostran said. "We're taking comments as we go and making sure we're meeting the standards students expect. The goal is to make this the advanced course it claims to be."

Background and Purpose

The UALC was established as the Army's response to the rapid evolution of drone warfare, particularly as demonstrated in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, where both sides have used cheap, modified commercial drones to destroy tanks, artillery, and personnel at a fraction of the cost of traditional munitions.

At its launch, Army officials described the course as a deliberate catch-up effort, with the original director publicly stating that the United States was behind its adversaries globally in this specific area of warfare — a gap the course was built to aggressively close.

Key Updates

• Increased live kinetic engagements: From 5 to 12 per class
• New tactical focus: Moving from open-terrain live flights to tighter, more realistic scenarios
• Culminating exercise: Held at the drone training facility in Daleville, Alabama, incorporating close-quarters battle (CQB) training

"The most significant update is increasing the amount of physical, kinetic engagements from 5 to 12," Gatta said. "We have been working to refine the overall course to run smoother and provide the most up-to-date data."

Tactical Evolution

The shift toward more live-fire repetition reflects a broader change in the course's curriculum. Earlier iterations leaned heavily on outdoor live flights in relatively open terrain. The current class is moving toward tighter, more realistic tactical scenarios, including a culminating exercise that incorporates close-quarters battle training — combat conducted at very short range inside buildings or confined spaces.

"This exercise will demonstrate a more real-world tactical environment and incorporate a Close-Quarters Battle level of training, whereas previous emphasis has been heavily placed on outdoor live flights," Gatta said. "Our current goal is to make the training more tactical in nature. I believe we have several solid plans to build on moving forward."

Training Equipment

During this iteration, students trained using the Shank 1.0, a purpose-built expendable drone system, paired with C4 — a widely used military plastic explosive prized for its stability and controllable detonation. This combination gives students direct experience coordinating flight altitude and executing a strike against a designated target, rather than simply learning the concept in a classroom.

The live ordnance and live flight sequence forces students to manage the aircraft's flight path, judge distance and timing, and confirm the strike — all under conditions closer to real combat than any simulator can fully replicate.

Growing Demand

Sgt. 1st Class Riley Watts of Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Aviation Regiment, said he spent months trying to get a seat in the course — a wait that reflects growing demand across the Army as units increasingly recognize how central drones have become to modern combat operations.

"This is a great course to keep you relevant in today's force," Watts said. "Seeing how UAS is being implemented and utilized in today's Army is eye opening, and it shows you how important it is to understand these systems."

Broader Interest

The course has also drawn interest beyond the Army's own ranks. West Point Cadet Matthew Baldwin, a rising sophomore and civil engineering major from Andover, Kansas, attended the course to bring tactical drone employment strategies back to the U.S. Military Academy's Future Applied Systems and Tactics team. This is part of a deliberate push by his leadership to send cadets through the program and share what they learn with the broader force.

Source: Story published July 28, 2026, by the Army's Aviation Center of Excellence