NOVEMBER 19, 2025 – The low hum of small rotors over Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, Georgia, may sound routine, but within that hum lies a transformation.
The 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, is not discarding helicopters it is augmenting them. Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook platforms remain indispensable to the force. What is evolving is how those aircraft integrate with unmanned aerial systems and in-house manufacturing, allowing the brigade to redefine what readiness means on a complex future battlefield.
The war in Ukraine offers more than cautionary tales; it offers operational proof. Ukrainian forces have used low-cost drones to strike deep inside Russian territory, harass logistics lines and force Russia’s air defense systems into constant repositioning. For example, data shows Ukraine launched at least 58 long-range UAS strikes on Russian energy infrastructure since August 2025, sending drones up to 2,000 km into Russian territory and interrupting about 17% of Russian refining capacity by mid-August.
Russian forces, in turn, have launched hundreds of drones in large-scale saturation attacks. In early February 2025, one overnight strike involved 267 attack drones against Ukraine, marking the largest single drone assault of the war to date. These developments show how unmanned systems are reshaping the way forces detect, target, sustain and make decisions on the front line.
For soldiers of 3rd CAB, the lessons are not theoretical. They recently trained on the Expeditionary Manufacturing Cell, a mobile 3D-printing system that allows rapid production of drone components in the field. Working side by side, UAS operators, UAS repairers and Allied Trade Specialists printed more than 90 unique components in hours rather than waiting weeks for ordered parts.
They progressed from printing and assembly to the first flights with Group1 first-person-view drones, which weigh under 20 pounds and can carry small munitions. Additionally, the team completed calibration, sensor integration and flight testing at the tactical level.
Despite the transformation, the brigade also remains committed to its rotary-wing force. The difference now lies in employment: the Apache still offers deep strike and aerial firepower; the Black Hawk still performs medevac and air assault; the Chinook still delivers heavy lift and rapid repositioning.
Soldiers assigned to 3rd CAB are layering unmanned systems into those missions. A Black Hawk air assault might still carry troops, but preceding it, a UAS team could scout the route, drop loitering munitions against anti-air threats, or provide a live video feed that shortens the sensor-to-shooter timeline. A Chinook heavy-lift mission might be preceded by unmanned reconnaissance of the landing zone and suppression of nearby sensors.
The brigade has also taken lessons from signature management in Ukraine to heart. Drones and helicopters both leave signatures acoustic, and thermal and units that emit too much or move too slowly become visible targets.
To counter this, 3rd CAB is practicing smaller command nodes, tighter emission control, decoys and adjunct UAS operations that mask or move pathways ahead of the rotary wing force. The objective: maintain the power of manned aviation while reducing its vulnerability in a contested, unmanned-dense environment.
More than hardware, the change is cultural. Soldiers who once requested parts now design and print them. Aviation maintenance sections that focused on rotors and blades now also queue up small drone print runs and payload modifications. Squad level leaders who ran air-assault briefs now also schedule drone launch timelines. Innovation isn’t separate or exotic, it’s embedded in routine.
The brigade is experimenting within its formations, embodying what senior leaders call “transformation in contact.” The war in Ukraine underlined the danger of being structurally rigid; 3rd CAB soldiers are proving readiness arises from speed, adaptation and integration.
“Today’s battlefield is adapting rapidly. By teaching our soldiers to understand how drones work and are built, we are giving them the skills to think creatively and apply emerging technologies to enhance mission effectiveness and readiness,” said Staff Sgt. Christian Dodson, the HAAF Innovation noncommissioned officer in charge.
The future battlefield will reward units that can build, integrate, move fast, sense fast, decide fast, and strike fast with precision. Soldiers assigned to 3rd CAB are building that future today by combining the proven might of helicopters with the distributed reach of unmanned systems and the growing capability to manufacture and sustain that capability on-site. When the next fight demands more than traditional aviation, this brigade will be ready.
By Army Capt. Lydia Laga, 3rd Infantry Division