Laser backpack drones take on one of the US Army’s most dangerous jobs

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• Why laser designation remains one of the most dangerous tasks
• Introducing the C100 drone: a lighter way to mark targets
  • What the C100 brings to the battlefield
• Performance numbers and the financial argument
  • Technical snapshot
• Practical battlefield advantages for ground units
• Export prospects and allied interest
• How doctrine and tactics could evolve with small designator drones

Marking a target with a laser has long been one of the riskiest jobs on the modern battlefield. Special operators often must expose themselves to enemy fire to keep a laser “paint” on a target until a strike arrives. Now, a compact drone aims to take that burden off human shoulders and reshape how militaries assign and engage targets.

Why laser designation remains one of the most dangerous tasks

Movies capture a familiar image: a small team behind enemy lines, steadying a laser designator as aircraft prepare to strike. That depiction mirrors real-life danger.

• Ground teams must stay close to their objective to maintain the laser beam.
• Being “danger close” raises the chance of detection, return fire, or capture.
• Traditional platforms that can laser-designate, like attack helicopters, bring additional cost and complexity.

Removing the human from the immediate target area reduces casualty risk. That simple change can alter tactics and widen options for commanders.

Introducing the C100 drone: a lighter way to mark targets

Performance Drone Works (PDW) has developed a small unmanned aircraft, the C100, that can carry a laser designator. The U.S. Army purchased these drones in two contracts during 2024 and 2025.

PDW sold C100 systems to the U.S. Army for a combined $36.2 million. The company has also demonstrated the system to international partners.

What the C100 brings to the battlefield

• Small and portable — can fit into a single rucksack.
• Designed to lase targets remotely so troops do not need to remain exposed.
• Operates as a force multiplier by freeing up personnel for other tasks.

Performance numbers and the financial argument

The C100 is not free, but it is far less expensive than legacy alternatives. Price per drone with a laser package sits between $400,000 and $500,000.

By contrast, an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter costs in the ballpark of $30 million.

• Cost-efficiency: multiple C100s can be fielded for the price of a single helicopter.
• Acceptable attrition: losing a drone is operationally far less severe than losing a soldier or crewed aircraft.

Technical snapshot

• Range: about 6 miles.
• Top speed: around 40 mph.
• Maximum altitude: up to 12,000 feet.
• Endurance: roughly 74 minutes per sortie.

Those figures allow the C100 to launch from a safe distance, lase a target, and return or be recovered without committing troops to prolonged exposure.

Practical battlefield advantages for ground units

Deploying a small drone to mark targets changes several operational dynamics.

1. Advancing units can call in strikes without pausing to set up a human laser team.
2. Special Forces can reduce time spent in high-risk positions.
3. Commanders gain flexibility to use lower-cost assets for target designation.

The net effect is a reduction in risk and an increase in operational tempo.

Export prospects and allied interest

PDW has not kept the C100 to the U.S. alone. The company displayed its targeting capability to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence.

• Demonstrations to NATO members suggest future sales beyond the U.S.
• Allied forces often seek low-cost, high-impact tools for surge operations.

Wider adoption would let partner militaries standardize on a small, transportable target-marking platform.

How doctrine and tactics could evolve with small designator drones

Replacing some manned designation missions with unmanned systems affects training, logistics, and rules of engagement.

• Units will need drone launch and recovery procedures integrated into patrol drills.
• Logistics chains must add spare airframes and batteries instead of aircraft parts.
• Commanders will adapt strike coordination to leverage persistent, low-cost lasing platforms.

Integrating a tiny drone like the C100 into existing units reshapes risk calculus and can change the way missions are planned and executed.