Members of the Army Reserve Aviation Command along with 411th Engineer Brigade competed for the titles of Best Operator and Best Squad against Active Component and National Guard teams in the first annual Army Best Drone Warfighter Competition 17-19 February 2026 at the University of Alabama Huntsville, UAS and C-UAS test range in Huntsville, Ala.
The team, led by 1st Lt. Finn Willman, designed, developed, tested and tactically deployed the first low-cost one-way FPV strike drone in the Army Reserve. The team outperformed several units from the other components, given a 34-day notice with no UAS components on-hand.
The ARAC’s 1st Lt. Joshua Goff placed in the top half of the Best Operator Competition while Sgt. 1st Class Job Smith and Staff Sgt. Daniel Hallberg of 411st ENG BDE completed the hunter/killer lane, attacking 3 out of 5 engagements using the ARAC’s own purpose-built attritable system (PBAS) before time expired.
During the competitions, team members conducted a first-person view (FPV) race and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) with follow-on kamikaze engagements and subsequent simulated call-for-fire on armored targets.
Prior to competition, the team traveled to JRTC and MacDill AFB for training with the 509th and SOCCENT. While at competition, the team attended workshops on UAS and dedicated time to network with other UAS professionals from the public and private sector in order to enhance their understanding of UAS integration opportunities.
The ARAC is keen to develop knowledge around UAS from the perspective of the operator and manufacturer. Currently, there are six custom fully-mission capable Group 1 sUAS in the ARAC’s possession and three functionally proficient FPV operators.