Old-School Tools Gaining Ground In Drone Defense

The war in Ukraine has made it obvious inexpensive aerial drones are effective in combat, whether for intelligence gathering purposes or delivering lethal payloads. The ability of portable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)—often modified from commercially available models—to serve as a force multiplier are undeniable.

Their speed, maneuverability, ability to harness artificial intelligence and habit of arriving in swarms makes defending against them problematic. The U.S. military is aggressively investigating high-tech solutions. In 2020, for example, the U.S. Navy was testing a UAV-vaporizing laser system. Late last year the British Army successfully tested a drone-frying laser system mounted on an armored vehicle. Radio frequency jammers are also used to scramble their signals, although counter measures have already been developed.

It’s no longer the stuff of science fiction. It’s also enough to convince some that handheld traditional firearms are useless against the aerial adversary. They’re wrong.

When they arrive in huge formations, fly under the radar and perform dizzying acrobats, it’ll be troops with their feet firmly on the ground (or on the deck) engaging those that sneak through. For that reason, familiar gun and ammunition companies are working overtime to harden the defensive perimeter.

In August of last year, Benelli Defense introduced its M4 A.I. Drone Guardian, based on the company’s combat-proven shotgun. It is effective from 0 to 50 meters. At 100 meters, performance is labeled as borderline, but dropping a UAV is still possible.

That’s more than a football field away, using shotshells, traditional propellant, wading and a firearm. Norma—like Benelli, also a member of the Beretta Holdings family of companies—has developed a special load for that drone-dropping mission.

Its Anti Drone-Extreme Long Distance (AD-ELR) shotshell is tailored for the task. Of course, AI-fueled drones and ice-mocha-latte-sipping operators dozens of miles away from the front are more wily than clay birds at your nearest skeet field. To get operators on target, Benelli Defense offers hands-on training with the system and ammo.

Earlier this year, Beretta Defense Technologies introduced a new anti-drone ammunition for use by non-recoil-operated machine guns—think Mini-Gun. Working with RWS on the project, the specialized loads are effective at disabling UAVs in that cloud of lead at extended distance.

The situation has also attracted the attention of many other companies, each developing their own man-portable improvements. In 2023, for example, the British military ordered 225 SmartShooter SMASH Smart Weapon Sight Fire Control Systems. They are designed to deliver precision-aiming solutions, at combat speeds, for centerfire rifles and carbines.

RoboRounds offers bullets that have a high probability of disabling a drone’s electronics upon impact. More interestingly, it also makes a pneumatic-delivered Tangler projectile that allows troops to capture nosy UAVs, hold them captive and taunt the operator miles behind enemy with their favorite Monty Python lines at their discretion—after the EOD team has disabled any munitions, of course.