Photo By Cpl. Zachariah Ferraro | An R80D SkyRaider small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS) carries a Mjolnir munitions...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — U.S. Marines with the Advanced Infantry Training Battalion (AITB), School of Infantry – East executed a live-fire combined arms exercise on July 3, 2025, showcasing the Mjolnir lethal payload system delivered by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), marking a significant step forward in the integration of small unmanned systems at the tactical level.
The demonstration featured the use of weaponized small drones, including the SkyRaider and the Neros Archer, coordinated with traditional direct and indirect fire assets such as mortars and the Javelin missile system. The event was conducted as part of an ongoing series of experiments designed to increase lethality and UAS integration across the Marine Corps’ infantry formations.
The event marked the first time a program-of-record (meaning a system formally fielded and sustained by the Marine Corps) UAS delivered a live lethal munition on Camp Lejeune, with a SkyRaider, a quadcopter used by Marines for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) dropping the Mjölnir munition onto a designated target followed by mortar fire and a Javelin strike in a simulated company-level assault.
The Mjölnir is a small, lightweight device roughly the size of a soda can with stabilizer fins and a sensor on top that can carry 500 grams of explosive to affect a directional blast of ball bearings through point detonation or through aerial burst using LiDAR technology that triggers an explosion at the right moment.
The idea for integrating the Mjölnir into the exercise originated during a visit from Maj. Gen. Anthony Henderson, the commanding general of Training Command, to AITB during the School of Infantry Summit. Maj. Jessica Del Castillo, the commanding officer of the Small Unmanned Aircraft School (SUAS) at AITB, intrigued by the Mjölnir’s potential, presented the concept of pairing it with the SkyRaider. Her briefing sparked immediate interest and resulted in Henderson tasking AITB to execute a live drop within two months to test the potential capability.
“I did the heavy planning leading up to the Mjolnir drop: getting the interim flight clearance approved, doing that kind of work prior to the event, and then ensuring the safety structure was in place for the live drop,” recalled Del Castillo.
“The objective was to do small UAS live drops from a program of record system, as well as [Neros Archer] … on a Marine Corps-owned range. We wanted to do it here in our local training area for the first time with all the approvals in place, so it was legal and kind of a first use case for the program of record system.”
To make that happen, Del Castillo’s team coordinated directly with the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), which oversees aviation safety and certification across the Navy and Marine Corps. Because Mjölnir hadn’t yet completed its full certification, NAVAIR reviewed the drone configuration, range control plan, and safety mitigations, and ultimately issued an Interim Flight Clearance (IFC). That temporary authorization enabled the SkyRaider to legally carry and release a live munition.
Del Castillo explained that Mjölnir is still in development and hasn’t completed the full safety certification process required for adoption and use by the Marine Corps. The goal of the exercise wasn’t to field the system, but to test and demonstrate its potential as a viable lethal capability for future operational use.
“It's not a fleet-procured disseminated system and it hasn't gone through a full WSESRB (Weapon System Explosive Safety Review Board), which is a requirement to ensure it's safe,” she said. “We were really just test-driving the car. We weren't buying it today. We just wanted to demonstrate a capability—a lethal capability—that the fleet could find useful.”
The idea for integrating the Mjölnir into the exercise originated during a visit from Maj. Gen. Anthony Henderson, the commanding general of Training Command, to AITB during the School of Infantry Summit. Del Castillo, intrigued by the Mjolnir’s potential, presented the concept of pairing it with the SkyRaider. Her briefing sparked immediate interest and resulted in Henderson tasking AITB to execute a live drop within two months to test the potential capability.
Del Castillo said the Mjölnir demonstrated both its potential and its limitations, noting that during the drop from the SkyRaider, the munition detonated prematurely while still in free fall.
“So [July 2] was the first live drop, and that was 15 meters off, which is not too shabby with a non-precision system,” said Del Castillo. “Today, we did see the Mjolnir went off before it hit the ground, so before it point-detonated. And that just proves that, you know, this is in development. We showed that the capability can be employed. It can have neutralization effects and suppression effects, even despite it going off a little early during the free fall.”
In addition to the SkyRaider, Marines from AITB employed the Neros Archer UAS to conduct a direct strike on the target. The Neros Archer is a rugged, first-person-view (FPV) drone, roughly the size of a small backpack, with four wide-set propellers. While not a program-of-record system, it is part of the DoD’s Blue UAS program, which certifies unmanned systems that meet strict standards for security, reliability, and interoperability.
The operator of the Neros Archer, Staff Sgt. Ryan Welch, attached an anti-personnel charge integrated with a Kraken Electronic Safe and Arming Device to its underside that contained a directed explosive with hundreds of steel ball bearings. Once the drone was flown within striking distance of the target, the operator command-detonated the device, creating a forward-facing blast pattern like a shotgun.
“I got visual of the target and then command-detonated roughly four to five meters away from the target. Spread that fragmentation pattern out,” said Welch. “If there were actually humans where that [charge] went off…devastating. Complete destruction of those personnel.”
Flying high above the action was a Stalker UAS providing aerial over watch with a live video feed, which helped confirm the location of targets, monitor effects of fires, and ensure coordination between drones, mortars, and javelins. Staff Sgt. Andrew Ricigliano, an instructor with SUAS, piloted the Stalker throughout the exercise resulting in the longest continuous Stalker flight on Camp Lejeune, providing critical support that enhanced the full operational impact of the event.
“What stood out to me in the combined arms event today was the deconfliction of traditional weapons like the 81mm mortars and Javelins with the aerial systems being used,” Ricigliano said. “Making sure everything was deconflicted and safe, being that it’s the first time we’ve done this in the most restrictive range complex the Marine Corps has to offer.
Maj. Matthew Johnson, operations officer for AITB and officer-in-charge of the exercise, emphasized the significance of the effort behind the scenes.
“My favorite part of today's exercise was seeing the culmination of fairly large efforts to push the boundaries of policy and of some of the needed boards and entities that need to come together in order to make these systems safe,” said Johnson. “Seeing all that come together in a tactical evolution that is making the warfighters on the battlefield a little bit more lethal … exciting thing to be a part of and to watch.”
“This exercise was built to be an exercise that can be replicable. It's one that we built to begin the process. It's not the end, but it's beginning the process of identifying what use of small arms, both from [program of record] systems and from Blue UAS, looks like.”
“We are trying to build a ‘this is how it can be done’ and start the conversation of how do we employ these systems in our fighting formations.”
The exercise was directed by the commanding general of Training Command, Maj. Gen. Anthony Henderson, to build on lessons learned from the Marine Corps Drone Attack Team (MCDAT), a special unit within the Marine Corps at the forefront of experimentation with unmanned systems in lethality-focused scenarios. While MCDAT pioneered many of the early applications of small UAS in strike roles, this event applied those insights in a live-fire, combined arms context to assess how such systems integrate with traditional infantry fires.
The Marine Corps’ only MOS-producing Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS) School is located at AITB, SOI-East, and this event capitalized on the unique resident expertise within the battalion to demonstrate the effectiveness of SUAS in a combined arms environment.
This live-fire evolution was observed by representatives from NAVAIR, Marine Corps Training and Education Command, and 2nd Marine Division leadership. Lessons from the exercise will inform future tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) development, range and training requirements, and acquisition strategies for small UAS across the Marine Corps.
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2025 10:43 |
| Story ID: | 542297 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 107 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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