PDW C100 Takes Its Place in Army Aviation History
Oct 30, 2026
The Army Aviation Museum’s newest display preserves the story of an aircraft still evolving in Soldiers’ hands.
October 30, 2026: Before becoming a museum display, this C100 searched ahead of teams, helped locate Soldiers awaiting recovery, and delivered first aid supplies and water to personnel who needed assistance. Its service across the United States and overseas is now part of the Army Aviation story.
On October 24, the U.S. Army Aviation Museum unveiled the PDW C100 during its Models & Machines show and Training Support Facility Open House at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The display connects decades of aviation innovation with an adaptable aircraft that continues to be fielded across Army formations around the world.
Established in 1956 and formally opened to the public in 1968, the Army Aviation Museum grew through the dedication of aviation officers, civilians, and volunteers determined to preserve the Army’s aviation heritage. Today, its collection includes more than 160 military aircraft, tracing a history that stretches from the Wright brothers and World War I aviation to the Apache and Black Hawk helicopters serving today.
The C100 adds a new chapter to that history: compact, modular unmanned aircraft giving small teams capabilities they can employ and adapt directly in the field.
“Preserving aviation history can't just be a boneyard salvage mission decades down the road; strong PM and industry partnerships ensure rapid transformations like the C100 are captured in the dirt before today's innovation becomes yesterday's forgotten blueprint,” said Director of the Army Aviation Museum Bryant Macfarlane.
The C100’s modular, open architecture allows operators to exchange payloads for reconnaissance, surveillance, communications relay, spectrum awareness, cargo delivery, and organic fires support. Compact and man-packable, it gives small teams organic air support to see farther, extend their reach, and respond as missions change.
“Soldiers earned this aircraft its place in the museum by putting it to work on real missions,” said James Slider, CEO of PDW. “They continue to show us what works, what needs to improve, and what they need next. Our job is to turn that experience into capability they can use. That’s how we continue executing against our mission of putting decisive airpower in the hands of every operator.”
Through the Army’s Transformation in Contact initiative, the C100 supports modernization shaped by Soldiers using, testing, and refining technology in the field. Feedback from training and deployments informs PDW’s work on aircraft performance, mission systems, software, and payload integration. Those improvements expand what operators can accomplish with the same aircraft as requirements and mission environments change.
For museum visitors, the C100 offers a tangible connection to that ongoing transformation. Its service history is now preserved alongside earlier milestones in Army Aviation, while aircraft of the same platform remain in Soldiers’ hands, supporting missions and helping shape what comes next.
