Marine special operators rely heavily on hand-launched drones.

• Position: Special Ops

* If every marine is a rifleman, then every marine special operator is an unmanned aircraft system pilot.

The newest component of U.S. Special Operations Command has quickly embraced drone technology, particularly the small hand-launched aircraft that weigh less than 20 pounds and fly at speeds under 100 knots.

"They are being used actively in theater by our guys. We're having a lot of success with them," said Jon "Blade" Hackett, unmanned aircraft systems program manager at Marine Corps Special Operations Command.

Every marine in the command learns how to fly the Raven B and the Wasp III, which are tossed up by MARSOC units to provide overhead coverage when larger systems like the Predator or Reaper are unavailable.

"We're rapidly gaining experience and competencies and discovering what a great asset they are," said Hackett, a former commanding officer of Marine Light-Attack Helicopter Squadron 269.

Though MARSOC comprises 2,000 marines, or 1 percent of the entire Marines Corps, it receives 25 percent of the service's fleet of small UAS.

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Both the Raven and Wasp are considered team assets. The Wasp is a small, light aircraft that an operator can stash in his backpack while on foot patrols. The Raven, on the other hand, is larger and must be transported in a vehicle or stationed at a forward operating base.

The Wasp's quiet nature and small size make it ideal for covert surveillance missions. "If you saw one of these vehicles in the air, unless you knew it was a Wasp UAV, you'd think it was a bird," said Hackett. But its size means that it is susceptible to turbulence and high winds. "If the weather's not right, the Wasp isn't going to fly," he said.

The Raven is not as vulnerable to weather and winds, but it looks and sounds like a small airplane in the sky. There are ways to mitigate the motor noise to enable the plane to fly covert missions, Hackett added.

Each team deploys with a set of the two systems, which come with a number of vehicles and a ground control station. An operator could go downrange with one controller and fly multiple vehicles at the same time, said Hackett. But if troops wanted to conduct sustained operations with the aircraft tag-teaming for persistent surveillance, they require more than one station. Depending on the mission, they would receive an additional UAS system, or even a third one.

Though software makes it possible for an operator to fly a Raven solo, it is configured to fly with two...