A swift, black object made a sharp turn in the skies above Camp Pendleton on Friday, then dove into a target on a barren hill, sparking a reddish-orange explosion that echoed for miles. It was a sign that the Marine Corps is adding a lethal weapon to its repertoire — an adaptation drawn in part fr om watching Ukraine effectively using tiny kamikaze-style drones to fight Russia. The Marines say they’re hustling to train ground combat teams to use small, disposable, rapidly deployable drones to complement the larger tactical drones now in use. The military plans call for providing Marines with about 10,000 of the small drones this year. Some of the initial training is being done in the backcountry of Camp Pendleton, which is known for innovation in unmanned systems and electronic warfare. At a live fire range on Camp Pendleton, Marines successfully reach their target about 1 mile away and detonate the drone’s ordnance.  (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune) The base’s 1st Marine Division is learning to use Neros Archer drones that are smaller than a breadbox and weigh only 2 pounds. The drones can easily carry about 3 pounds of ordnance, notably C4 explosives, at speeds upward of 100 mph. The drones’ operating system is similar to that of many commercial video games, which is a plus. Most of the Marines who’ll be using these aircraft are young and they grew up playing such video games. At Camp Pendleton, a pilot on the ground peers through specialized goggles that provide live video of what the drone is seeing. This enables the pilot to maneuver the aircraft. The pilot is aided by a navigator and by a third person who holds an antenna mast. Marines can direct the bomb-laden drone to crash directly into targets, which is reminiscent of how Japanese pilots flew their own planes into American warships during World War II. These were known as kamikaze attacks. The Archer drone also can be told to explode from about 13 feet and 6.5 feet away from a target. Such attacks are meant to occur quickly and only when Marines have a good idea of where their targets are located. At a live fire range on Camp Pendleton, Marines operate the drone to reach a target located approximately a mile from their position.   (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune) During a test flight on Friday, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Miller guided a drone through the sky on a path that ended with a strike on a target that resembled a tank. Total elapsed time: About 2 minutes. “The target is now in a million pieces,” said 1st Lt. Nicholas Forthman, an instructor standing nearby. Miller said, “I wasn’t nervous (flying it). But it does feel strange. You’re lying down, level on the ground, watching something fly up and down.” There’s broad agreement that flying these drones can be very tricky. “You have to have the fine motor skills that are associated with operating a drone that’s fully acrobatic,” said Lt. Col. James Nilan, who is overseeing the training program. “You’re responsible for pitch and yaw and roll, and the speed of the drone. Luckily, there’s some great simulator software where Marines are operating on a controller and they can spend time working on.” Watching the training process can be awe-inspiring. At a live fire range on Camp Pendleton, Marines supporting the drone operation watch the monitor to assist the drone pilot in reaching a target located about a mile from their location.  (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune) “The young Marines out here pick up the skill sets quickly and intuitively,” said Lt. Col. Mark Savelle, commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. “It would take me a month to become close to even being a novice. This certainly is astonishing.” The push by the Marines to add such firepower has been greatly influenced by the Ukrainian military, which has developed nimble, low-cost drones to destroy Russian tanks and launch distant maritime attacks that many people thought were out of reach. These types of drones are “one of the components we need, certainly,”  said Nilan, who is playing a key role in the training. “We see a very, very cost effective way for Marines to use a system that’s incredibly lethal. Anything we can do to advance the warfighting ability of our Marines and sailors is a 100% win.” ...read more read less