Swiss Army Continues Field Tests Of Minidrones

The Swiss army says that“drones are increasingly expanding the possibilities for reconnaissance and attack”. Minidrones are used for reconnaissance and exploration missions and can gather intelligence without endangering human lives.

+ Read about the dilemma of producing military drones in neutral Switzerland

But“equipped with explosive charges, they become a precision weapon capable of fighting targets”, the army adds. On the Ukrainian front, their massive use has profoundly changed the way war is waged. Armies must therefore learn to protect their troops, vehicles, equipment and infrastructure against minidrones.

For the Swiss army, the aim is to carry out early tests to learn how to master this technology. As part of the field trials scheduled for autumn 2025, it has already trained 20 recruits to fly First Person View (FPV) drones. This is an immersive mode of piloting, using FPV goggles to view live video feedback.

More recent trials carried out by the Defence UAV and Robotics Competence Centre were aimed at integrating FPV drone teams into combat formations. The aim is to test the interaction between drone intervention teams and combat formations.

The use of drones in crises and conflicts has become the norm, according to the Swiss army. In response to the growing number of threats, the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) set up the Drone Task Force in June 2024.

This content was published on Apr 4, 2026 Swiss army chief Benedikt Roos said that war is stimulating innovation and that Swiss made military drones are in the pipeline.