U.S. soldiers test 3D printed Widowmaker grenade dropper on PDW C100 drone in Germany.

U.S. soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division tested a 3D printed munition dropper called Widowmaker, mounted on a PDW C100 drone, during Combined Resolve 26 1 in Germany. The system represents a new frontier in soldier-driven innovation, combining field fabrication with real-time battlefield utility.

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -  On October 9 2025, the U.S. Department of War reported that soldiers from the Multi Purpose Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division tested a 3D printed munition dropper system known as Widowmaker during the multinational exercise Combined Resolve 26 1. Mounted on a PDW C100 drone, the compact device enables precision release of M67 fragmentation grenades, M18 smoke grenades, and training munitions. Developed and manufactured entirely in theater through additive manufacturing, the project underscores how deployed units can design and field mission-specific tools within days.
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U.S. soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division monitor a PDW C-100 drone in flight, outfitted with the Widowmaker munition dropper, during exercises in Germany. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War)

The combat capabilities offered by the Widowmaker fundamentally alter the dynamics of small-unit warfare. At its core, the system empowers platoon-level forces to carry out independent precision strikes from the air without waiting for external fire support or rotary-wing assets. Instead of requesting artillery or airstrikes through lengthy approval chains, infantry squads equipped with the Widowmaker can identify, engage, and neutralize enemy positions within minutes using coordinated drone operations. Typically, one drone serves as a forward observer, locating and tracking targets, while another executes the munition drop. This compresses the sensor-to-shooter timeline into a tactical advantage at ground level.

The platform enabling this capability is the PDW C-100 drone, a rugged, electric quadcopter designed by Pacific Defense Works and selected by the U.S. Army under its Company-Level Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) initiative. With a payload capacity exceeding 5 pounds, VTOL capability, a flight endurance of over 30 minutes, and a compact, foldable frame, the C-100 is purpose-built for dismounted infantry operations. Its low acoustic signature and stable flight profile make it ideal for precision munition delivery in urban, wooded, or mountainous terrain, exactly the types of environments where conventional fires are often delayed or unavailable.

During testing in Germany, the Widowmaker demonstrated the ability to release up to four grenades per sortie with accuracy from standoff ranges exceeding 100 meters. The system uses a lightweight, 3D-printed pylon-mounted dropper affixed beneath the drone’s fuselage, with electronic release mechanisms triggered by the operator via remote control. What sets it apart is the flexibility of its design. The dropper system can be tailored to various mission needs and quickly reprinted or modified in the field. Soldiers with no formal engineering background produced the current prototype using commercial CAD software and standard Army additive manufacturing kits, showcasing the potential of low-cost, soldier-led development for tactical systems.

From a combat perspective, this represents more than an incremental improvement. It introduces a disruptive capability at the squad level, transforming infantry units into autonomous strike teams with their own air-delivered munitions. Whether used to flush out enemy forces from cover, deliver obscuring smoke to screen maneuvers, or harass opposing positions during assaults, the Widowmaker provides new options for shaping the battlefield in real time. In decentralized, contested environments where mobility, responsiveness, and self-sufficiency are paramount, the system fills a critical gap between man-portable fires and higher-echelon support.

The broader implications are equally significant. The Widowmaker is not the product of a defense contractor or formal acquisition program. It is a solution built by Soldiers, for Soldiers, conceived, designed, and iterated entirely within the ranks of the 101st Airborne Division. The design has already been transferred to EagleWerx, the division’s innovation lab at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for refinement and potential wider implementation across U.S. Army formations. This aligns directly with the Army’s “Transforming in Contact” doctrine, which encourages bottom-up innovation and rapid field experimentation in operational environments.

As modern conflicts trend toward greater decentralization, electronic warfare threats, and the erosion of uncontested air superiority, the ability to generate effects at the lowest levels becomes more valuable. Systems like the Widowmaker offer scalable lethality, battlefield adaptability, and logistical simplicity, all critical attributes in peer-to-peer combat. They also reflect a growing institutional recognition that warfighters closest to the problem often hold the key to the solution.

The 101st Airborne’s pioneering use of this technology signals a turning point in how tactical capabilities are developed and deployed. More than just a successful prototype, the Widowmaker could serve as a blueprint for a new generation of soldier-designed drone munitions, modular, mission-configurable, and made for the fight at hand. If adopted at scale, it could fundamentally reshape how infantry units apply force, extending their reach and survivability in ways previously reserved for larger, slower-moving formations.

Army Recognition will continue following the Widowmaker’s evolution as it advances from operational testing into potential program-level adoption. For now, its impact is clear: the future of infantry combat is airborne, adaptive, and increasingly in the hands of the Soldiers themselves.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.