The VXE30 Stalker uncrewed aircraft system has been fielded for training and is slated to be used for advanced training courses, according to an Army news release.

While the uncrewed aircraft system is in use by some of the Army’s operational units, it’s now also being employed to train soldiers in advanced individual training courses at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and in the Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course at the Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

The system incorporates observations from the modern battlefield, such as Ukraine, including reduced noise and visual signature, vertical takeoff capability and cost-saving munitions technology—underscoring the Army's push to integrate cutting-edge systems into training at Fort Rucker and Fort Huachuca, the release says.

Maj. Wolf Amacker, UAS and Tactics Branch chief of the Aviation Center of Excellence's Training and Doctrine Directorate, said in the release that the use of the uncrewed aircraft system represented a milestone in training the Army's layered reconnaissance strategy. 

“This is the first time in years that we will be utilizing [this] size UAS in support of an Army course at Fort Rucker, since before the Shadow was really employed,” Amacker said in the release, referring to the RQ-7B Shadow, which is a Group 3 UAS, a category that includes systems that weigh between 56 and 320 pounds at takeoff, operate up to 18,000 feet above mean sea level and fly at speeds under 250 knots.

The Stalker aircraft is built on a modular open systems approach and can adapt to new sensors, payloads and technologies to support changing operational needs. 

Amacker noted that Fort Rucker’s 1st Aviation Brigade identified the Stalker during the recent UAS summit and moved quickly to acquire the system for training, ensuring students gain hands‑on experience with the latest reconnaissance technology.

“This system can take off and land vertically like a quadcopter, then transition to forward flight where it goes deadly silent,” Maj. Rachel Martin, director of the Air Cavalry Leaders Course and Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course, said in the release. “Its reduced visual and acoustic signature makes striking a target at 300 feet very likely, something that wasn't possible with louder systems, like the Shadow.”

The system integrates into the Army's Common Lethality Integration Kit, allowing soldiers to select warheads at the user level and employ both newly designed payloads and existing munitions, such as 81 mm mortars. 

Martin noted the dramatic cost difference compared to traditional systems. “Instead of a Hellfire missile costing $100,000 to $150,000 per round, this solution costs about $800,” she said. “That disparity is significant, and it reflects lessons from the Ukrainian fight, where cheaper solutions are proving decisive.”

Amacker added that the Army is exploring ways to print training rounds in‑house, further expanding opportunities for instruction while reducing reliance on traditional procurement systems. 

Training with the Stalker is scheduled to begin in December, so instructors could incorporate the system into courses and prepare soldiers to employ it in tactical missions at the battalion and brigade levels.