The Tennessee Department of Military (TDM) announced on Thursday that 12 soldiers in the Tennessee Army National Guard were the first to graduate from the Volunteer State’s new Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SAUS) Master Trainer course in Tullahoma.
According to the TDM press release, the training prepared the 12 attendees to become “SAUS instructors, pilots, and subject matter experts.” They each received specialized knowledge about reconnaissance drones, namely the Skydio RQ-28A and RQ-28-C, as well as the new Neros Archer, which was developed last year for battlefield use in Ukraine.
Founded in 2023 and backed by investors including Peter Thiel, in February 2025, Neros won a contract from the Latvia-based International Drone Coalition to provide 6,000 drones to Ukraine over six months.
One month later, the U.S. Marine Corps shared the results of a live-fire demonstration with the drones, announcing the Archer successfully flew a long-range mission over 20 kilometers with a simulated payload and attempts at interception.
By last July, the company was reportedly manufacturing about 1,500 drones per month. Last November, it announced that the U.S. Army selected Neros to be one of the primary manufacturers of first-person view (FPV) drones for a U.S. Army drone program, with the American military set to receive “the next-generation evolution of the battlefield-tested Archer 8-inch system.”
The training was provided by the 1-117th Military Police Battalion at Smyrna’s Volunteer Training Site. Master Sgt. Jeffery Barber stated that the training was “just the beginning” of the drone training to be conducted in Tennessee.
“The technology and systems are changing and updating so fast, we designed the course to be flexible, allowing Soldiers the ability to quickly incorporate new quadcopters, drones, or other systems into their units with minimal training time,” stated Barber. “Our curriculum reflects this while using the newest doctrine and lessons observed from current conflicts and other theaters of combat. It is our responsibility to ensure students receive the best guidance and information available before returning to their home units.”
About a year after Russia launched its conflict with Ukraine in February 2022, the Tennessee Army and Air National Guard participated in a joint training exercise with Bulgarian and Greek forces that were conducted less than 500 miles away from Ukraine’s border.
More recently, members of the Tennessee National Guard have guarded the southern border and participated in the Memphis Safe Task Force.
– – –
Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
