# Weight, Cold, Mountains. The Army's Alaska Drone Taken Apart

> "Soldiers across the 11th Airborne Division continue to demonstrate that many of the best ideas come from the bottom up."

Published 2026-11-04 by Alaska AI. 9 slides.
Canonical: https://alaskaaihq.com/archive/2026-11-04/

## The story

Weight. Cold. Mountains. The Army's Alaska drone, taken apart.

The first kinetic drone strike in the Richardson Training Area.

Paratroopers of the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, flew armed first-person view drones in live fire, alongside sniper teams, reconnaissance elements and a gun truck.

Before the strike, they flew the weight.

Operators first flew unarmed explosive payloads to see how the added weight changed the drone's maneuverability. Sgt. 1st Class Devin McNamara, the brigade's sUAS master trainer, helped enable the test flights.

What the Army left blank.

A private hand-sewed a battery vault.

Pfc. Michael Pereira's passive prototype is designed to keep drone batteries viable in sub-zero temperatures using only body heat and radiant barriers. It was an entry at Angel Ascent, the 11th Airborne's innovation competition, on October 28th.

First place went to a relay over the ridge.

Spc. Leighton Keilen won Angel Ascent, and a Meritorious Service Medal, with a Skydio drone relay and modular payload delivery system. The Army says it significantly extends tactical drone range in Alaska's mountains.

Not every fix flies. About $300 in materials.

It replaces cloth gunner hatch covers that let snow leak into truck cabs.

The entries the Army named.

What Alaska problem should soldiers bring to the next Angel Ascent?

## What we verified

- Paratroopers of the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, conducted multi-purpose company live-fire exercises in Alaska. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Correy Mathews](https://www.army.mil/article/296380), primary document, 2026-10-27.
- The live-fire exercises took place on September 29th and October 19th to 20th. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Correy Mathews](https://www.army.mil/article/296380), primary document, 2026-10-27.
- The exercises were held at the Multi-Purpose Training Range in the Richardson Training Area. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Correy Mathews](https://www.army.mil/article/296380), primary document, 2026-10-27.
- The exercises included the first kinetic drone strike conducted within the Richardson Training Area. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Correy Mathews](https://www.army.mil/article/296380), primary document, 2026-10-27.
- The strike used armed first-person view drones. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Correy Mathews](https://www.army.mil/article/296380), primary document, 2026-10-27.
- The exercises integrated armed small unmanned aircraft systems, sniper teams, reconnaissance elements and a gun truck. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Correy Mathews](https://www.army.mil/article/296380), primary document, 2026-10-27.
- Before the live strikes, operators flew test flights with unarmed explosive payloads to see how the added weight affected maneuverability. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Correy Mathews](https://www.army.mil/article/296380), primary document, 2026-10-27.
- Sgt. 1st Class Devin McNamara, the brigade's sUAS master trainer, helped enable the test flights. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Correy Mathews](https://www.army.mil/article/296380), primary document, 2026-10-27.
- The brigade's Multi-Functional Reconnaissance Company, commanded by Capt. Pat Robinson, coordinated the initial effort and flew the first live strike. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Correy Mathews](https://www.army.mil/article/296380), primary document, 2026-10-27.
- Capt. Raymond Bartoli, a brigade planner and officer in charge of the live-fire range, said "The Kinetic Drone Strike completed on MPTR was the first of its kind in the Richardson Training Area (RTA).". [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Correy Mathews](https://www.army.mil/article/296380), primary document, 2026-10-27.
- The Army article says these drone capabilities are particularly relevant to the Spartan Brigade in Arctic and mountainous environments. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Correy Mathews](https://www.army.mil/article/296380), primary document, 2026-10-27.
- The 11th Airborne Division held its Angel Ascent innovation competition on October 28th at the division theater. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- Spc. Leighton Keilen of 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, won first place at Angel Ascent. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- Keilen's winning entry was a Skydio drone relay and modular payload delivery system. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- The Army says Keilen's system significantly extends tactical drone range and utility in Alaska's rugged, mountainous terrain. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- Col. Matthew Adamczyk presented Keilen with a Meritorious Service Medal. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- Every other Angel Ascent competitor received an Army Commendation Medal, and every participant got a four-day pass. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- Each innovator had 10 minutes to brief a project, followed by five minutes of questions from the judges. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- Judges scored entries on problem identification, solution quality, operational value, resource requirements and presentation. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- Pfc. Michael Pereira hand-sewed a prototype passive thermal battery vault to keep drone batteries working in sub-zero temperatures using only body heat and radiant barriers. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- Other Angel Ascent entries included 3D-printed explosively formed penetrators for FPV drones. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- Another entry was a unit-fabricated ring mount hatch for FMTVs that protects convoy gunners in Arctic conditions. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- Col. Matthew Adamczyk said "Soldiers across the 11th Airborne Division continue to demonstrate that many of the best ideas come from the bottom up.". [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- Staff Sgt. Robert Baddeley developed TroopToTask.org, a platform that combines personnel, training and duty data for leaders. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Capt. Luke Smith](https://www.army.mil/article/296502), primary document, 2026-11-02.
- Angel Ascent is the 11th Airborne Division's twice-yearly innovation competition, sponsored by the division's Innovations Lab. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Master Sgt. Adam Ross](https://www.army.mil/article/296265), primary document, 2026-10-21.
- The October 28th competition was the second iteration of Angel Ascent. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Master Sgt. Adam Ross](https://www.army.mil/article/296265), primary document, 2026-10-21.
- A team from the 725th Light Support Battalion, 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), designed a metal replacement for the soft cloth gunner hatch covers on Light Medium Tactical Vehicles, which let snow leak into the cab. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Master Sgt. Adam Ross](https://www.army.mil/article/296265), primary document, 2026-10-21.
- Other units can reproduce the metal hatch cover for roughly $300 in materials. [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Master Sgt. Adam Ross](https://www.army.mil/article/296265), primary document, 2026-10-21.
- Capt. Daniel Woodard said "We put together a metal version that can sustain the weight of snow, and can also be popped open easily.". [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Master Sgt. Adam Ross](https://www.army.mil/article/296265), primary document, 2026-10-21.
- Capt. Eleanor Manning, deputy of innovations at the 11th Airborne Division Innovations Lab, said "The overall intent is not to just select one winner.". [U.S. Army (army.mil), by Master Sgt. Adam Ross](https://www.army.mil/article/296265), primary document, 2026-10-21.
- MEA, Enstar and Hilcorp signed a gas exchange agreement covering 1.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas. [Matanuska Electric Association](https://www.mea.coop/news/mea-enstar-and-hilcorp-sign-gas-exchange-agreement-to-enhance-regional-winter-reliability-and-reduce-costs-for-mea-members), primary document, 2026-10-21.
- Enstar is to return equivalent gas volumes to MEA no later than March 31st, 2028. [Matanuska Electric Association](https://www.mea.coop/news/mea-enstar-and-hilcorp-sign-gas-exchange-agreement-to-enhance-regional-winter-reliability-and-reduce-costs-for-mea-members), primary document, 2026-10-21.
- MEA estimates the exchange will save its members about $2 million, subject to regulatory approval. [Matanuska Electric Association](https://www.mea.coop/news/mea-enstar-and-hilcorp-sign-gas-exchange-agreement-to-enhance-regional-winter-reliability-and-reduce-costs-for-mea-members), primary document, 2026-10-21.
- MEA CEO Tony Izzo said "This agreement demonstrates how utilities can work together to address regional energy challenges.". [Matanuska Electric Association](https://www.mea.coop/news/mea-enstar-and-hilcorp-sign-gas-exchange-agreement-to-enhance-regional-winter-reliability-and-reduce-costs-for-mea-members), primary document, 2026-10-21.
- Army Recognition reported that the Army did not identify the drone model, payload mass, flight endurance, engagement range or measured accuracy. [Army Recognition, by Alain Servaes](https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2026/us-army-paratroopers-integrate-armed-fpv-drones-in-alaska-first-live-fire-exercises), report, 2026-10-28.
- Army Recognition cautioned that the Richardson strike should not be read as the Army's first use of an explosive FPV drone. [Army Recognition, by Alain Servaes](https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2026/us-army-paratroopers-integrate-armed-fpv-drones-in-alaska-first-live-fire-exercises), report, 2026-10-28.
- Enstar Natural Gas applied to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska to approve a proposed gas exchange with Matanuska Electric Association. [Petroleum News, by Alan Bailey](https://www.petroleumnews.com/story/2026/11/01/utilities/enstar-seeks-rca-approval-for-proposed-gas-exchange-with-mea/50473.html), report, 2026-11-01.
- Enstar asked the RCA for an expedited decision on the exchange. [Petroleum News, by Alan Bailey](https://www.petroleumnews.com/story/2026/11/01/utilities/enstar-seeks-rca-approval-for-proposed-gas-exchange-with-mea/50473.html), report, 2026-11-01.
- With 98 percent of precincts reporting on election night, Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins led the governor's race with 49 percent of the vote. [Alaska Public Media, by Eric Stone](https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-11-03/democrat-jonathan-kreiss-tomkins-leads-in-alaska-governors-race), report, 2026-11-03.
- Republican Bernadette Wilson was second with about 29 percent of first-choice votes. [Alaska Public Media, by Eric Stone](https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-11-03/democrat-jonathan-kreiss-tomkins-leads-in-alaska-governors-race), report, 2026-11-03.
- Ranked-choice ballots in the governor's race are to be tabulated on November 18th. [Alaska Public Media, by Eric Stone](https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-11-03/democrat-jonathan-kreiss-tomkins-leads-in-alaska-governors-race), report, 2026-11-03.
- Kreiss-Tomkins told the Alaska Beacon he supports a moratorium on data center development in Alaska until the Legislature passes a regulatory framework. [Alaska Beacon, by James Brooks (via Alaska Public Media)](https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-09-21/where-do-alaskas-four-governor-candidates-stand-on-data-centers), report, 2026-09-21.
- Wilson said she would never allow Alaska to be littered with hyperscale data centers. [Alaska Beacon, by James Brooks (via Alaska Public Media)](https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-09-21/where-do-alaskas-four-governor-candidates-stand-on-data-centers), report, 2026-09-21.

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