3rd Marine Littoral Regiment and Philippine Marines conduct live-fire one-way attack drone exercise during KAMANDAG 10

U.S. Marines with the 3rd Littoral Combat Team conducted a live-fire range using armed first-person-view attack drones at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, during Exercise KAMANDAG 10 on June 14-15, achieving a milestone for the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment. Coordinated with the Philippine Marine Corps, the event demonstrated emergent attack drone concepts in dense jungle conditions.

Lightweight, single-use drones capable of striking targets at approximately 20 kilometers were integrated into forward training operations. Their use during Exercise Balikatan 2026 and KAMANDAG 10 marked the regiment’s first deployment of these systems to the Philippines, following their initial fielding to 3rd LCT in March 2026.

Marines successfully hit targets despite two days of intense Philippine weather, with high-explosive training enabled by close collaboration with Philippine counterparts. “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 together, the bilateral force sourced isolated terrain to ensure distance from local civilian populations and jointly cordoned off the downrange area. The live-fire event allowed both forces to exchange insights on how these systems operate in complex littoral environments.

“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 tools in the hands of small tactical units, the 3rd MLR and Philippine Marine Corps are adapting to current security demands while deepening interoperability and readiness.

The 3rd MLR, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, specializes in littoral warfare and regularly trains with regional allies across the Pacific. KAMANDAG 10 is a multidomain, joint, and combined exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military focused on maritime security, interoperability, contested logistics, and combined readiness throughout the Philippine archipelago.