FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 10: U.S. Army soldiers parachute into the Holland Drop Zone during an airborne troop drop demonstration for U.S. President Donald Trump on June 10, 2025 in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Trump is traveling to Fort Bragg Army base to observe a military demonstration and give remarks in honor of the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Paratroopers of the U.S. Army’s famed 82nd Airborne Division completed their first training exercise using a newly acquired drone hunter-killer system called the Bumblebee V2, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.
Twenty paratroopers trained in using the Bumblebee to track down and defeat adversary drones at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in exercises that taught them how to interpret data and signals before unleashing the autonomous systems.
"Just as every soldier is trained in basic rifle marksmanship before handling live rounds, we want to ensure that they can master the fundamentals of UAS operation and employment of passive countermeasures before expecting them to operationally employ an air-to-air interceptor," said U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Kellen Rowley, a senior enlisted advisor on the Defense Department’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401, in a statement.
A bumblebee drone takes off at Fort Bragg, N.C. during a landmark training exercise with the U.S Army's 82nd Airborne Division. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Cory Reese)
U.S. Army
The Bumblebee V2 is a first person view drone with four rotors and camera technology that can provide both wide-angle and narrow-angle views. Its resemblance to other simple FPV quadcopter drones is deceptive.
The drone is a self-contained, self-propelled hunter-killer system. It possesses a relatively sophisticated degree of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence targeting software that allows it to freely track, recognize and chase other drones at will. No direct control from operators is needed after it starts flying.
"Its automated target recognition allows the drone to lock on and engage an adversary drone autonomously, letting soldiers focus on situational awareness and tactics," according to Rowley.
After fixing a target, the Bumblebee swoops in to perform a head-on ramming attack that topples the other drone out of the sky. In counter-drone warfare, this qualifies as a kinetic strike or “hard kill,” in contrast to “soft kill” methods of bringing drones down without external strikes.
A Bumblebee V2 drone flies in front of a group of 82nd Airborne Division Soldiers at Fort Bragg, N.C., April 22, 2026. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Cory Reese)
U.S. Army
Unlike in other hard kill methods, however, the Bumblebee acts as its own ammunition. This minimizes risks associated with introducing external ammunition into an area, such as bullets or high energy beams.
The Bumblebee V2 has been put into the field at speed. The system was acquired by the task force through a $5.2 million contract inked with Perennial Autonomy in January, with deliveries starting in February and the Army’s Global Response Force starting evaluations in March.
Along with other Unmanned Aircraft Systems and kinetic interceptors, the Bumblebee V2 is set to become a standard U.S. military weapon. The 82nd Airborne Division’s exercise using this system can safely be said to mark the beginning of a new era of military training practices.
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