The US military is launching Top Gun training for FPV drones as part of the T-REX program, combining AI, electronic warfare, and rapid innovation.
The Pentagon is transforming its technological experimentation exercises into real digital warfare laboratories. In August, the T-REX 25-2 exercise will include intensive training for FPV drone pilots, inspired by the Top Gun school. This initiative is part of a strategy to catch up with the mass production of drones by rival powers. FPV drones, originally designed for sporting competitions, have become inexpensive precision weapons. To take full advantage of them, the US military is investing in pilot training, short-range anti-drone defense systems, and artificial intelligence-assisted electronic warfare. The goal is clear: to accelerate the military development cycle by involving the private sector in a rapid experimentation process. This method is already reducing the time to field new systems by several years.
Top Gun tactical training for FPV drones
The launch of a Top Gun school dedicated to FPV drones represents a major turning point in the US military‘s training strategy. Unlike traditional flight simulators, FPV (First Person View) drones are controlled using virtual reality headsets, giving operators a direct on-board view through the drone’s sensors. This immersion requires intensive reflex training, both offensive and defensive, to effectively maneuver highly sensitive aircraft, often armed with explosives.
The T-REX exercise in August 2025 will see “Red vs Blue” teams clash in a format that simulates real-world warfare scenarios, particularly in urban areas. These training battles will test the skills of young operators against latest-generation anti-drone defense systems. This approach aims to quickly produce an elite group of operators capable of competing with the tactics developed by Ukrainian and Russian forces, where FPV drones have caused a significant proportion of recent losses.
The strategic challenge is immediate: to train dozens, then hundreds, of operators capable of piloting low-cost but highly effective drones, in a context where potential adversaries are producing millions of units per year. At an average cost of €400 per unit, FPV drones are formidable improvised missiles, provided they have trained operators. Hence the Pentagon’s interest in structuring the training of these pilots in the same way as for fighter pilots.
The concept of multi-sensor defense: integrated electronic warfare
The T-REX program includes experimentation with multispectral passive destruction chains, a concept based on combining several sensors—acoustic, infrared, radar—to identify and neutralize aerial threats, particularly drones. These so-called “passive” sensors do not emit waves, which reduces the risk of detection by the enemy. The fusion of the data collected enables instant mapping of the battlefield.
This technological integration is essential in a context where threats are evolving rapidly. FPV drones, for example, fly at very low altitudes and at high speeds. This allows them to evade conventional radar systems. The use of multiple sensors, coupled with real-time analysis software and artificial intelligence, makes it possible to build a defense capable of reacting in seconds.
Lieutenant Colonel Matt Limeberry, head of T-REX exercises, emphasizes the priority of these “low-cost, short-range air defense” technologies. These systems must be simple enough to be deployed en masse, but powerful enough to stop a swarm of drones. Models such as Raytheon’s Coyote Block 3 system and THOR microwave cannons have been mentioned in this type of configuration.
Accelerating military innovation through the T-REX program
The T-REX (Technology Readiness Experimentation) program is now the institutional framework for rapid innovation within the Department of Defense. Initially established under the Biden administration through the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER), it was continued under the Trump administration and extended to all branches of US military research.
Its principle is clear: test new equipment every 30 days in the field, under real conditions, with direct feedback from military users. This pace drastically shortens the development cycle: some equipment goes from prototype to deployment in less than 18 months.
At the same time, more complex biannual exercises, such as T-REX 25-2, test equipment interoperability, resistance to jamming, and the overall effectiveness of command chains integrating humans and AI. This organization also relies on close collaboration with industry, from specialized startups to giants such as Amazon Web Services, which analyzes the data generated by the exercises to draw tactical lessons.
Drones such as the Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie, now used by the Marines, are the result of this approach. They illustrate the potential of this model to transform the research-development-acquisition process, long criticized for its slowness and bureaucratic red tape.
The capability challenge posed by the mass production of drones by adversaries
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has highlighted the growing gap between US production and that of its strategic rivals, notably China and Russia. These countries produce millions of cheap drones every year, mostly in the armed FPV or reconnaissance quadcopter category.
Faced with this dynamic, the goal is not only to produce more, but to produce better and smarter. The Pentagon is aiming for a qualitative approach, focusing on low-cost consumable drones combined with responsive command networks and pilots trained according to standardized protocols. The idea is to compensate for the quantitative imbalance with a technological and tactical advantage, through the integration of decision-making AI, electronic warfare, and intensive training.
This strategic shift marks a break with past acquisition cycles, which were often long, inefficient, and marked by failed projects. The flexibility provided by T-REX, by reducing barriers to entry for suppliers, makes it possible to broaden the pool of available innovations and avoid costly technological dead ends.
Outlook: toward a drone-native doctrine for the US armed forces
All of these developments are paving the way for a more profound doctrinal shift in the US armed forces, particularly with regard to asymmetric engagements and hybrid conflicts. In the medium term, it is likely that every mechanized brigade, every fighter squadron, and every forward base will deploy its own fleets of FPV drones or loitering munitions, integrated into the command structure through autonomous tactical networks.
Specialized FPV units, composed of young operators trained as fighter pilots, will support conventional units or saturate enemy defenses before a ground assault. Ground sensors will detect enemy drones, which will be neutralized by electronic or kinetic countermeasures (nets, lasers, microwaves). Everything will be orchestrated by algorithms capable of acting in less than a second.
This convergence between electronic warfare, robotics, AI, and operational doctrine is drawing a new front line in modern warfare: that of remotely piloted microdrones designed as an extension of ground troops.
War Wings Daily is an independant magazine.