US Army’s 10th Mountain Division Goes All In on Attack Drones

The US Army’s 10th Mountain Division has quietly crossed an important line, moving from simply using drones as flying eyes to treating them as frontline weapons, with the formal activation of a brand new unit dedicated entirely to offensive drone operations, as the Army press release states.

On December 16, the division stood up Fox Company, 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, operating under the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Drum in New York.

Unlike earlier drone teams scattered across units, this company exists for one purpose, using unmanned aircraft and so called launched effects to actively hunt enemy forces deep beyond friendly lines.

Lt. Col. Chris Stoinoff, commander of the 1st Battalion, made the intent unmistakably clear during the activation ceremony, describing Fox Company as a force designed to seek out and destroy threats in the division’s deep battlespace, rather than merely observe or support from the sidelines.

This marks a cultural shift for a division best known for light infantry and cold weather warfare, now stepping directly into the era where robots are expected to carry lethal responsibility on tomorrow’s battlefield.

Drones, decoys, jammers, and strike platforms

According to the Army, Fox Company’s drones will not be limited to a single role. These systems are intended to perform reconnaissance, act as decoys, jam enemy communications, and when required, deliver direct lethal effects. In practical terms, that means the unit blends intelligence, electronic warfare, and strike capability into one tightly integrated package.

What makes this especially notable is how the Army plans to fuse these drones with traditional air power. Stoinoff emphasized that Fox Company’s reconnaissance and attack drones will operate in concert with three Apache helicopter companies, creating layered pressure on enemy forces that is faster, cheaper, and harder to counter than helicopters alone.

For DroneXL readers, this mirrors what has already played out in Ukraine and the Middle East, where small, relatively inexpensive drones have repeatedly proven they can shape battles when paired with conventional firepower.

Building drones in house, not just buying them

Another quiet but important detail is that Fox Company will work directly with the division’s innovation unit to develop and produce drone components internally. That suggests the Army is learning a lesson from recent conflicts, where rapid iteration and local manufacturing often outpaced traditional defense procurement cycles.

Rather than waiting years for approved platforms, units like Fox Company may be able to adapt airframes, sensors, and payloads on the fly, responding to new threats and countermeasures in weeks instead of budget cycles.

This move also fits neatly into a broader Pentagon push. Earlier this year, the Department of Defense created Joint Interagency Task Force 401 to improve counter drone capabilities, while simultaneously expanding offensive unmanned units overseas, including Task Force Scorpion Strike in the Middle East and MQ 9 Reaper operations in South Korea.

DroneXL’s Take

This is not just another Army unit activation, it is a signal that offensive drone warfare is becoming institutional, permanent, and doctrinal inside US ground forces. The 10th Mountain Division is effectively admitting that future battles will be fought by humans and machines working side by side, with drones pushing farther, faster, and cheaper than helicopters or manned patrols ever could.

For the civilian drone world, especially DJI users watching Washington’s increasingly hostile posture toward Chinese drones, the irony is hard to miss. The military is racing to weaponize concepts perfected by the Skydio drone ecosystems, even as lawmakers argue those same technologies are too dangerous to trust at home.

Photo credit: U.S. Army / Spc. Mason Nichols