Army drone team showcases speed and skill at national competition

That mattered beyond the stopwatch. The Army entered the Dec. 2-3 event with a team that had already shown it could compete, after its initial members finished second against other Department of Defense teams. By putting that group into a national field, the service used the Florida venue as a test of speed, precision and repeatability, not just as a showcase. The broader USNDA25 schedule stretched the competition narrative even further, with a Military Drone Crucible set for Dec. 4-6 at Camp Blanding, Florida, giving racers a second high-pressure proving ground in the same week.

Bickus and the Army’s leadership have built the program quickly since its official launch in September. The team’s earlier stops included the International Drone Racing Tournament in the United Kingdom and a drone crucible event at Avon Park, Florida, a sign that the Army wanted early exposure to different courses, formats and pressure levels rather than a one-off exhibition. That approach fits the service’s broader push into unmanned systems, from the Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course opened at Fort Rucker in August 2025 to the wider drive to build drone talent across the force.

The roster-building process was as competitive as the racing. Soldiers applied through a password-protected VelociDrone track coordinated with the United States National Drone Association, and more than 120 Soldiers entered the selection pipeline. Fifty were interviewed before the final group was set, and the mix of infantry, aviation, military police and cyber backgrounds gave the team a depth that went beyond pure FPV skill. The Army said the unit was designed to build visibility, support recruiting and provide tactical and developmental input, making race-day performance part of a larger training and talent-development system.