Photo By Sgt. Joskanny Lua | Paratroopers assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade and soldiers assigned to the 414th...... read more read more
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VICENZA, Italy -- Imagine walking into a workshop full of 3D printers, computer parts and paratroopers arguing about AI software. Upon first impression, the scene looks like someone stumbled into a tech startup. But this is not Silicon Valley—it is the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s new first-person view (FPV) drone lab at Caserma Del Din, Italy.
Instead of chasing venture capital, these paratroopers build drones that can literally blow stuff up. On May 8, 2025, a mix of 'Sky Soldiers' and contracting professionals assigned to the 414th Contracting Support Brigade gathered to check out what might be the most dangerous weapons in the sky.
“We are designing FPV drones that are capable of lethal effects—basically steerable mortars—and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Aiden Roberts, a member of the Bayonet Innovation Team (BIT), 173rd Airborne Brigade.
Since waiting on the government procurement process is like waiting for a new PT belt color to get approved, U.S. Army Col. Joshua Gaspard, commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, ordered the unit to stand up its own in-house FPV drone production line.
“It’s a huge learning curve, but paratroopers are excited to be using these systems,” Roberts said. “They see videos of FPV drones in Ukraine all over Instagram and the news media. I think it feels very innovative and important to be an FPV operator and builder within the 173rd Airborne Brigade.”
Instead of relying on million-dollar drones, the 173rd is building inexpensive, fast and portable FPVs—capable of pulling acrobatic maneuvers, diving into enemy trenches and exploding on command. Think: remote-controlled wasps with a grudge.
Each drone costs about $1,000 to build, and they are made almost entirely in-house. Sky Soldiers 3D-print the frames, solder the wires and connections, glue the parts together and program flight software like highly caffeinated engineers in a combat zone.
“To mitigate cyber risks, we are transitioning away from critical electronic components manufactured [elsewhere],” said Roberts. “We are always at risk of being jammed when operating radio-based drones, but we hope to mitigate those risks by integrating autonomous navigation software onboard, as well as increasing the number of operating bands each drone can use.”
The lab not only features hardware. The brigade developed a 15-day drone school, where soldiers learn the art and science of FPV flight.
In a recent multinational live-fire exercise, the 173rd’s homegrown drones were used to deliver precision strikes. It is a step toward making kinetic FPVs a regular part of every live-fire event.
The brigade also dabbles in artificial intelligence, working with the U.S. Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center (AI2C) to incorporate software which allows drones to auto-lock and fly into targets—once the human operator gives the green light, of course. The goal: smarter drones with fewer mid-air existential crises.
Technology like this deserves some safeguards. For instance, every new weapon system eventually gets a Law of Armed Conflict review; these drones are no exception.
“We don’t see a fundamental difference between the employment of these FPVs and the other weapons in our arms rooms,” Roberts said.
The long-term goal of the brigade is full-scale production and a “build-it-to-use-it” model. If a unit wants FPVs for an exercise, they will need to roll up their sleeves and build the birds themselves. Until then, the 173rd will keep churning out drones with the same energy they bring to airborne operations: high energy, high impact and sometimes a little unhinged. Afterall, the brigade's motto is 'lethal, agile, combat ready.'
About the 173rd Airborne Brigade
The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. Forward deployed across Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build partnerships and strengthen the alliance.
| Date Taken: | 05.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.08.2025 08:26 |
| Story ID: | 497365 |
| Location: | VICENZA, IT |
| Web Views: | 81 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Paratrooper innovation: 173rd Airborne boosts tactical edge, develops organic drone lab, by CPT Jennifer French, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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