MAY 26, 2026 — Defense industry partners successfully tested a new three-shot rocket launcher mounted to a logistics drone at Fort Rucker on May 20, an initiative designed to push advanced precision strike capabilities down to the battalion level.
The test paired the TRV 150, a resupply drone manufactured by Survice Engineering Company, with a three-pack Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) developed by BAE Systems FalconWorks. The system fires 70 mm rockets and represents a proactive, industry-led effort to meet emerging military needs.
The successful testing event was the result of a broad collaboration among several key military and aviation stakeholders, including the Program Acquisition Executive- Maneuver Air, Aviation Future Concepts Directorate, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center, Capability Program Executive Aviation, and the US Army Aviation Center of Excellence.
“Normally, industry waits for requirements to come out of the government, and they meet that requirement,” Clark Dutterer, vice president of business development for Survice Engineering said. “In this case, we saw that there was something that we could prove out, a new capability, and we didn’t want to wait for a requirement. We self-funded this to go ahead and do that.”
Highlighting the strategic importance of the testing, Jeff Blank, a test engineer with the Tactical UAS Program Office, pointed to the necessity of anticipating future operational requirements. He stated that it is critical for the team to proactively address incoming calls for solutions to stay ahead of the advanced capabilities currently being sought by the Army. Ultimately, Blank noted, these proactive development efforts are focused on ensuring rapid, effective, and continuous support directly to the warfighter.
The TRV 150 is currently fielded as a logistics and resupply platform, a program of record with the Marine Corps and the Army capable of carrying up to 150 pounds.
Rob Baltrusch, chief engineer at Survice Engineering, described the drone as the “pickup truck” of the sky, noting that it provides power, data, and expansion ports for various payloads, regardless of what it is carrying. The drone features an interface based on the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) and simplified, encrypted communications.
“It calculates all of the range estimation and takes a lot of the pilot duties away from the Soldier, to where they can literally give it a grid coordinate, wait, and it tells you if it can make it there, delivers the payload, and calculates the route,” Baltrusch said.
Because the system relies heavily on autonomous calculation and drone technology, safety and process efficiency are extremely important. Tristan Decker, a system safety engineer for the DEVCOM Armament Center, emphasized the exceptional safety culture surrounding the testing operations at Fort Rucker. He noted that the site’s rapid adoption of rigorous safety protocols, particularly concerning unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), has significantly streamlined operations. By proactively anticipating and addressing bureaucratic hurdles, Decker explained that the team has struck an ideal balance between ensuring mission success and maximizing process efficiency.
The tests on Fort Rucker focused on evaluating the drone’s flight control software and physical response, specifically yaw and impulse compensation, when firing rockets from the outboard tubes of the horizontally mounted launcher.
Dutterer noted that integrating the APKWS onto a tactical drone significantly shifts how the military can deploy precision munitions.
“APKWS is currently deployed from Apache and other more exquisite assets, so core and above deployment,” Dutterer said. “With that same effect on a TRV 150, you’re bringing it down to potentially battalion and below, and making it more expeditionary. You can wrap different [concepts of operations] around it for different units, depending on what their needs may be.”
The project has been self-funded under internal research and development since January 2025. Following a successful single-shot demonstration at Dugway Proving Ground last May, which included an air-to-air engagement against a Group 2 fixed-wing drone and two air-to-ground shots, the Fort Rucker event marked the first time the system flew and fired the three-shot launcher.
The testing also aligns with senior military leader guidance mandating that all unmanned aerial vehicles possess a lethal payload option, utilizing existing inventory like the Hydra family of rockets.
The Fort Rucker testing serves as preparation for upcoming Joint Readiness Exercises (J-Rex). The drone and rocket system is slated to participate in tier-two experimentation events at White Sands Missile Range in June and Eglin Air Force Base in September, where it will be tested in base defense, air defense, and counter-UAS capacities to defeat one-way attack drones.
Story by Leslie Herlick
Aviation Center of Excellence