Army unit experimenting with small drones for ‘tailored cyber effects’

The Army is experimenting with small drones that carry payloads for cyber, radio-frequency, and jamming missions. The goal is to deliver non-kinetic effects close to adversary systems, at the tactical edge. This could give ground forces more flexible support without relying only on larger platforms or dismounted equipment.

The drones may carry government-developed or commercial payloads, including RDEP. Operators can load exploits onto RDEP cards and use them to deliver digital effects. Those effects can jam signals, blind systems, or help gain access to nearby Wi-Fi systems. Other payloads may support real-time spectrum monitoring.

The Army has not selected a final drone configuration. It is collecting feedback from the 11th Cyber Battalion and testing different payloads and form factors. Lessons from Expeditionary Cyber Teams, including deployments to the southern border, will help shape future kits for the 11th and planned 12th battalions.

A tailored cyber effect is a digital or radio-frequency action chosen for a specific target and situation. The article describes such effects as non-kinetic. They can be adjusted to support a commander’s needs while seeking to minimize unintended impacts on friendly systems. This makes precision and control central to the concept.

Examples include jamming communications or gaining access to Wi-Fi systems. RDEP helps operators load exploits onto cards and deliver what the Army calls digital bullets. A drone can carry the system near a target, allowing operators to apply an effect from a forward position. The article also links these payloads to real-time spectrum monitoring.

A physical attack uses force against objects or people and can cause direct material damage. The article does not describe such attacks here. Instead, the Army is testing effects that disrupt, blind, monitor, or access systems without using kinetic force. Their final use will depend on testing and commander requirements.

The Radiofrequency Delivery Effects Platform is a hardware and software capability for delivering cyber effects. Operators load exploits onto cards, which the system treats as digital bullets. The Army is testing RDEP because it can extend tactical cyber operations toward systems located near forward forces.

The article says RDEP and related payloads can support jamming and access to Wi-Fi systems. Jamming interferes with signals, while an exploit can help an operator gain access to a targeted system. RDEP can be mounted on small drones, carried by people, or used with other platforms. The Army is also examining its role in spectrum monitoring.

RDEP is not yet part of a finalized standard kit for the 11th Cyber Battalion. The Army is comparing it with systems such as the Terrestrial Layer System Manpack. Testing will determine which payloads, quantities, and platforms best support deployed Expeditionary Cyber Teams.

The planned expansion is from the existing 11th Cyber Battalion to two battalions, with the 12th expected to replicate the 11th. The article gives no personnel total or exact equipment quantity. Its significance is increased capacity for tactical cyber operations that support traditional Army formations.

The 11th was established in 2022 and grew from the earlier 915th Cyber Warfare Battalion, which dates to 2019. Its Expeditionary Cyber Teams are scalable units. They work alongside ground forces and provide non-kinetic capabilities by request. Their activities primarily involve radio-frequency operations, electronic warfare, and information operations.

The Army plans to establish the 12th in the coming months. Meanwhile, the 11th is helping test equipment and provide feedback. The Army is still deciding the standard kit, vehicle mix, drone payloads, and capability levels that both battalions and their teams will need.

When a drone delivers jamming or cyber effects near an adversary, communications and networks may become less usable or accessible. The article specifically identifies jamming, blinding systems, and gaining access to Wi-Fi systems as typical non-kinetic effects. These actions affect digital or radio-frequency functions rather than physically attacking equipment.

RDEP provides one mechanism. Operators load exploits onto cards and use the platform to deliver digital bullets. A drone can carry RDEP or another payload close to the target. The Army is also testing systems that monitor the spectrum in real time, helping teams understand nearby radio-frequency activity while applying tailored effects.

The article does not claim that every target will lose all communications or suffer permanent damage. Results will vary with the payload and mission. The Army wants effects tailored to the situation and limited so friendly systems are not unintentionally disrupted. Testing will guide future equipment choices.

The Army is testing several combinations because the 11th Cyber Battalion’s final requirements remain unsettled. It must decide which capabilities belong in dismounted, vehicle-based, or drone-mounted systems. It also needs to determine what each Expeditionary Cyber Team will do, which vehicles it will use, and how much equipment it needs.

Existing systems already provide useful test cases. The Terrestrial Layer System Manpack can sense and jam signals, while RDEP can deliver cyber effects. Small drones may carry government-developed or commercial payloads. Comparing these options helps the Army examine reach, portability, overlap, and usefulness for teams deployed forward.

Feedback from the 11th, including rotating support at the southern border, is informing the process. Army Cyber Command is developing draft kits after providing an initial prototype. The Army expects more prototype testing and has not decided what will enter production next year.

Radio-frequency warfare, electronic warfare, and cyber operations overlap when teams use the electromagnetic spectrum to sense, disrupt, or access systems. The 11th Cyber Battalion conducts tactical operations across these areas, often alongside ground forces. The Army is combining offensive and defensive cyber acquisition work because the capabilities can share platforms and missions.

A single Expeditionary Cyber Team might use a manpack to sense and jam signals, RDEP to deliver an exploit, or a drone to carry either type of payload. These tools address different parts of the same operational environment. The Army is asking where cyber and electronic-warfare capabilities overlap and what combination best equips forward teams.

Avoiding friendly disruption matters because the Army wants tailored effects, not uncontrolled interference. The article specifically says the effort seeks to minimize unintended impacts on friendly systems. Real-time spectrum monitoring and commander flexibility are therefore important as the Army develops equipment kits and future battalions.