In a significant milestone for 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, U.S. Marines with 3rd Littoral Combat Team conducted a live-fire range employing armed first-person view-controlled systems in the Philippines during Exercise KAMANDAG 10, June 14-15, 2026. Coordinated alongside marines with the Philippine Marine Corps, the training evolution at Fort Magsaysay successfully demonstrated emergent attack drone concepts in a challenging jungle environment.
During the training, Marines employed lightweight, first-person view attack drones. The integration of these drones into forward training operations during Exercise Balikatan 2026 and KAMANDAG 10 signifies 3rd MLR’s first-ever deployment of these systems to the Philippines, closely following its initial fielding to 3rd LCT in March 2026. These agile, single-use systems offer a cost-effective method for small units to strike targets up to approximately 20 kilometers away.
The Marines successfully hit targets in dense jungle terrain, overcoming two days of intense Philippine weather. The success of the high-explosive training was made possible through deep collaboration with the Philippine Marine Corps.
"I am personally grateful to the PMC for allowing us the opportunity to train and execute the range, as well as assisting us in our interactions with locals and supporting our general safety structure,” said Lance Cpl. Gorgino Perez, an attack drone operator with 3rd Littoral Combat Team. “We’re guests in an allied country, and I believe it’s important to never forget that.”
Working shoulder to shoulder, the Philippine marines played a vital role in the training event’s safety and execution. The bilateral force sourced isolated terrain together, ensuring the range was safely distanced from local civilian populations, and stood alongside each other to effectively cordon off the downrange area. The live-fire event provided an opportunity for both forces to exchange insights into the capability these modern systems bring to a complex littoral environment.
“Our ability to move to a location, in any clime and place, to reconnoiter, shape, define, coordinate with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and build safe, quality ranges to execute safe, quality training on is essential,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Vincent Havelaar, the 3rd LCT weapons officer. “I’ve never seen something that’s this brilliant and this beneficial all happening at the same time.”
By placing decentralized precision strike capabilities directly into the hands of tactical units, 3rd MLR and Philippine Marine Corps partners are jointly adapting to the modern security environment. As 3rd MLR continues to train alongside Philippine partners, the deployment of these modern systems stands as a foundational step in deepening interoperability and ensuring the U.S.-Philippine alliance remains forward-postured, ready and responsive.
3rd MLR is a U.S. Marine Corps unit specialized in littoral warfare operations. Based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, and operating throughout the Pacific, 3rd MLR routinely integrates with regional allies and partners during multilateral exercises like KAMANDAG 10. KAMANDAG 10 is a multidomain, joint, and combined exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military focused on enhancing maritime security, interoperability, contested logistics, and combined readiness throughout the Philippine archipelago.