Paratroopers carry out the first armed drone strike on JBER's Richardson Training Area

Paratroopers at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson carried out the first armed drone strike on the base's Richardson Training Area this fall, the Army said Tuesday.

Soldiers with the 11th Airborne Division's 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team flew armed first-person view drones, which operators steer through a live camera feed, during live-fire exercises Sept. 29 and Oct. 19-20, according to the Army's release. It was the first strike of its kind on the training area, said Capt. Raymond Bartoli, a brigade planner who was in charge of the live-fire range.

In a company live-fire in April and May, paratroopers flew strike drones without live munitions, and JBER has described drone training with simulated explosive payloads.

This time, with help from explosive ordnance disposal teams, operators first flew the drones carrying unarmed explosive payloads to see how the weight changed their handling. The brigade's reconnaissance company then flew the first live strike, which cleared the way for the brigade's other companies to add armed drones to their own live-fire drills. Sniper teams and a gun truck also fired on targets during the exercises.

The brigade says the capability is particularly relevant in Arctic and mountain country, where rough terrain, restricted ground movement and degraded line-of-sight communications can complicate combat. Armed small drones give commanders more ways to find targets and deliver precise fire, the Army said.

The Army said the strikes lay the groundwork for more armed drone training across the brigade.