Drone Tactics in Black Teaming Operations

How far can a drone take you in a covert operation? What secrets might it unveil from above or within? How can one aerial asset disrupt surveillance, deliver payloads, and expose vulnerabilities, all without a human operator ever setting foot on target property?

Drones have emerged as a revolutionary tool in black teaming, and a surprisingly versatile piece of kit. These aerial platforms are no longer just tools for reconnaissance. They are active agents of disruption, surveillance, and insertion.

This article explores the evolving use of drones in black team operations across seven core areas: long-range recon, close-range surveillance, payload delivery, counter-surveillance, and even direct support during infiltration. Each section examines the technique, gear, strategy, and real-world implications of drone use when confronting hardened facilities.

Now one quick legal note before we begin, only fly your drones legally and in locations that you have authorization to do so.

Outdoor Drones for Long-Range Recon

This is the most obvious use of drones but one that is still quit useful, long range recon. This is especially useful if your drone has a long flight distance, battery life and zoom features, which will allow the pilot to be comfortable far away from the target building.

While you can use things like google maps or even satellite imagery on target buildings, it doesn’t ever give you real time visuals or even specific timed images that you may need depending on the engagement. High-resolution visual reconnaissance allows teams to define guard routines, lighting patterns, entrances, blind spots, and potential choke points. Drones capable of long-range, high-altitude recon fill this need better than any other single piece of tech.

Fixed-wing or multi-rotor UAVs like the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise, Autel Dragonfish, or Skydio X10 can be launched from kilometers away and remain aloft for 40 minutes or more. The goal isn’t just general surveillance; it's terrain analysis, threat modeling, and time-stamped movement tracking. Some teams fly missions in overlapping waves, collecting imagery over several nights to document guard rotations or unexpected changes in behavior.

With optical zooms of 56x or more, black teamers can identify every avenue of approach, security device positions, potential security weak points and even security camera brands, all without having to step foot onsite.

These birds-eye views enable pre-attack modeling, virtual walk-throughs, and route optimization—often forming the visual basis for planning every other phase of the operation. Thermal imaging payloads add even more intelligence by exposing occupied rooms or running machinery.

Outdoor Close-Range Recon

When you’re done looking at the broad strokes, you move in for detail. Close-range drone recon is often performed just after sunset or in the dead of night. Unlike high-altitude flights, this phase brings the drone within feet of the structure, hovering inches from windows, maneuvering around corner eaves, or probing balconies and glass doors for visual intel.

The above comes from the Linconshire police drone training program and shown during an interview which you can find here.