SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- As technology advances and the battlespace continues to evolve, the U.S. Air Force is finding innovative ways to overcome new and previously unimagined obstacles.
The world has taken notice of the threat and the opportunity of small, unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS). This technology exploded on the international stage in 2023 when Ukraine launched its “Army of Drones” to rapidly scale sUAS production and deployment for use in combat against Russia. Ukraine used commercial drones to great effect, and the world took notice.
“Drones are the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation, accounting for most of this year’s casualties in Ukraine,” stated U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in his Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance memorandum signed July 10, 2025.
Hegseth’s memo identified the need to rapidly adopt new drone technology as it emerges and loosened the reins on bureaucracy, delegating the authority to procure and operate drones to the warfighter.
Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) Battle Lab at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, is leading the charge, building its own drones with one express purpose: improve the combat effectiveness of Airmen throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
“We’re trying to challenge established norms to find out how drones–the future of warfare–fit into traditional tactics and doctrine,” said Master Sgt. Darren Heller, the AFCENT Battle Lab senior enlisted leader.
Traditionally, the U.S. Air Force used expensive UAS aircraft for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions; but now, the possibilities are only limited to the imagination, Heller said. From terrain mapping and electronic warfare to life-saving medical supply delivery, drones can be a force multiplier for nearly every career field.
But first, they must be built.
The small AFCENT Battle Lab team began studying commercial drones, 3D printing the parts they could and purchasing the parts they couldn’t. Through trial and error, the team built drones of various shapes and sizes, from the standard quad-copter design to one shaped like a rocket and designed for speed, at a fraction of the cost of commercially available products. Their functions range as wildly as their designs, from ISR to drone defense.
“The whole idea is to show these drones can be designed and built by our Airmen,” Heller said. “Trial and error, and learning, the knowledge that comes with that is worth more than the drone itself.”
The AFCENT Battle Lab only has three permanent party positions, but a rotation of four enlisted deployers rounds out the team. These Airmen, all U.S. Air Force software engineers, spend their first couple weeks learning the skills they need to design and build drones, including 3D rendering, soldering and drone operation.
“I knew the Air Force used drones; I didn’t realize the extent,” said Airman 1st Class Braden Schwartz, a software engineer and deployer to the AFCENT Battle Lab. “Our work is really important and needs investment to ensure our continued air superiority.”
Superiority is not achieved overnight but through deliberate intent and execution.
As the AFCENT Battle Lab team operated their designs, parts inevitably failed. However, this did not dissuade them. They went back to the drawing board, identified design flaws and made improvements. Such trials and errors can be costly endeavors, but replacing a faulty drone chassis that costs only $3 to print does not pull firmly on the purse strings compared to the cost of replacing a commercial part.
“From an innovation perspective, we don’t expect a 100 percent success rate,” Heller said. “We’re satisfied with 80 percent failure and 20 percent success. The real question is how we get our successes to the field and Airmen trained to use them.”
The lab recently held a drone simulator challenge at Shaw AFB to identify Airmen who already possess the skills necessary to quickly learn drone operation. Those earning top marks in the simulator were added to a roster of candidates for future training events.
Heller said anyone can be trained to operate a drone, but the learning curve is difficult. Through efforts like the simulator challenge, the Battle Lab identifies Airmen with natural talent, thus decreasing the time necessary for training.
“Young Airmen nowadays are just better with technology; they grew up with it, they don’t know anything different,” Heller said. “They’re better at operating drones because they grew up playing video games. They have the dexterity to use both thumbs. Their learning curve is a lot less steep. These Airmen are entering the Air Force with unique skills that are difficult to recognize.”
The AFCENT Battle Lab continues working to recognize these talents with cautious optimism as they continue advancing their drones and capabilities.
Once the lab finalizes a design, drones can be distributed throughout the CENTCOM region for field testing. Airmen employing the drones would then provide feedback for fine-tuning to better meet specific warfighter needs.
As threats continue to evolve, the U.S. Air Force embraces Airmen’s innovative ideas. Effective, low-cost solutions are only one Airman’s idea away.