Operator XR wins first US Marine Corps counter-drone order

Operator XR has won its first order from the U.S. Marine Corps, marking the first sale of the company's OP-2 Interceptor counter-drone training system.

The order covers OP-2 Interceptor systems for Marine Corps training requirements, including software licences, integrated training hardware, and 12 months of support services.

Operator XR is the U.S. subsidiary of Australia-listed xReality Group. The contract value is not material to the parent group, but the order is strategically important because it gives the business an entry point into the Marine Corps and secures a first customer for its new counter-drone training product.

The system is designed to train one or more users in counter-small unmanned aircraft tactics, techniques, and procedures through virtual reality scenarios rather than live-fire exercises. Trainees face a configurable range of drone threats, including armed first-person-view, surveillance, and reconnaissance drones, and use simulated weapons such as shotguns and AR-platform rifles.

Instructors can set routes for enemy drones, choose attack profiles, and alter drone behaviour during an exercise. The system also records data including shot accuracy, weapon angles, and field of view for after-action review.

The order follows demonstrations and evaluations with Marine units across a number of formations. That testing period helped shape the product ahead of its first sale.

The Marine Corps order adds to Operator XR's existing U.S. military customer list, which includes the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, and U.S. Army National Guard. Unlike those earlier relationships, this contract is the company's first sale tied specifically to counter-drone training.

Growing demand

The order comes as small drones become a more common battlefield threat and the U.S. military expands counter-drone training beyond specialist teams. The shift across the Department of Defence is to spread those skills more widely among operational units.

Within the Marine Corps, dismounted counter-drone equipment is being fielded to units, while service-level training has started to incorporate dedicated counter-small UAS lanes. That is increasing demand for training systems that do not depend on live drones, access to airspace, or range availability.

Operator XR said OP-2 Interceptor is built on its existing OP-2 portable virtual reality training platform. The system can operate fully offline and does not require fixed facilities, allowing it to be used in a wider variety of settings than live-fire or instrumented range training.

The company has framed the Marine Corps order as a reference point for further work across the U.S. defence market and among allied forces. A Marine Corps customer could carry weight in a segment where products often go through lengthy assessment and user feedback before wider procurement.

Counter-drone systems have become an increasingly active area of defence spending as military planners respond to the spread of low-cost unmanned aircraft in conflict zones. Training products sit alongside weapons, sensors, and command systems in that market, as armed forces seek ways to prepare troops for drone threats more often and at lower cost.

A key attraction of virtual training is that units can repeat scenarios without expending ammunition, arranging airspace clearances, or sourcing target drones. For front-line forces, that can make training more frequent and easier to integrate into existing programmes.

xReality Group Chief Executive Officer Wayne Jones said the Marine Corps order reflected a period of product testing with users. "Securing our first order from the U.S. Marine Corps is a significant milestone for Operator XR, and it is fitting that it comes with the first sale of OP-2 Interceptor. This order follows a sustained period of demonstrating and evaluating Interceptor with Marines across numerous units, and their feedback has shaped the product. Counter-UAS training is now a priority across the U.S. military, and this order gives us a Marine Corps reference customer as we take Interceptor to other services and allied forces," Jones said.

The system is scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of xReality Group's 2027 financial year.