In early July 2025, it became known that the U.S. Army had for the first time dropped a live grenade from a drone despite the fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had used such strikes against the enemy back during the ATO/OOS period (2014-2022), and today this has become a routine battlefield tactic.
In the U.S., developing this capability took several years, including creating a dedicated Audible release pod for these purposes.
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Currently, American forces continue to test this new technology. According to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), the tests were conducted by the U.S. Army's UAV innovation team as part of the Joint Multinational Training Group–Ukraine.
The live-fire tests ran from September 9 to 12, during which a total of 117 M67 fragmentation grenades were dropped from a Skydio X10 Delta drone.
The Audible release system was evaluated for reliability and combat viability, with the goal of providing new precision capabilities to soldiers at lower tactical levels.
The system tested was the second version of the Audible pod, whose original purpose was remote delivery of grenades to infantry units, meaning it was initially intended more for transport than direct strike.
During the tests, several improvements were made to increase system efficiency. As the military noted, these upgrades will allow the platform to be finalized for use in real operational conditions.
"If we can take a hand grenade with a 30-meter throw range and give a soldier the ability to use it at a distance of 1,000 meters or more, that’s just another way to increase lethality on the battlefield," said Lieutenant David Baker.
The duration of further testing, the time needed for final adjustments, and subsequent production and deployment of the system have not been disclosed. Cost will also be an important factor, as in todays conditions such systems are often considered consumable items.
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