How are drones changing war? Companies are now pitching new shotguns, rifle kits, and ammo as last-resort drone killers.
Counter-drone systems are a top priority for the US military.
Some companies are now pitching rifle ammo and shotguns as tools for taking out uncrewed systems.
These are seen as last-ditch efforts in drone defense.
With drones of all types emerging as a premier threat on the modern battlefield, counter-drone solutions are hot, from electronic warfare down to the soldier in the trench holding a gun.
Shotguns and rifle ammo are being pitched as last lines of defense in a drone fight, as Business Insider saw recently at a trade show.
At SOF Week 2025 in Tampa, Florida, Benelli Technologies and Kinard Technologies had some of their counter-UAS systems on display.
These included Kinard's BAOWOLF, a large-caliber, single-use munition designed for shooting down first-person-view and one-way attack drones. BAOWOLF attaches to a rifle, or it can be used on its own or as part of another Kinard system, the Autonomous Multi-Purpose Turret.
All of BAOWOLF's plastic parts are 3D-printed, which Kinard CEO Dane Pigott told BI helps keep costs low and allows for mass production. The Tungsten shot, according to the product's fact sheet, has the same amount of shot as an entire 8-round shotgun magazine, can be armed and fired in under one second, and has an intended range of 10 to 60 meters.
Pigott, a captain in the Army reserve who deployed to Syria and Afghanistan, said that conflicts like the war in Ukraine show the dominance of drones, even amid electronic warfare countermeasures designed to limit their effect. He said having a rifle attachment with a counter-drone capability built in as an added layer of defense is becoming more appealing.
"When we started this business, people were like, 'Put something on my rifle? Are you insane?'" Pigott said. Now, he explained, they're recognizing the potential value in a fight with drones. Broadly, Kinard's focus has been on counter-UAS technologies. The company's AMPT system is another example of that effort.
AMPT is described as a self-contained system that can be attached to and moved around on vehicles, buildings, and drones as a kinetic option for counter-UAS. It uses artificial intelligence-vision targeting that requires a human-in-the-loop for firing authorization. This weapon is composed of four BAOWOLF munitions.
At SOF Week, Benelli Armi, a subsidiary of Beretta Defense Technologies, also had some of its counter-drone systems on display. Benelli's M4 AI Drone Guardian shotgun is designed to be a last-resort option to shoot down drones. The weapon, the company explained, was recently used during a demonstration with international special operations forces in Nevada.
The Drone Guardian features an Advanced Impact system for a larger cone in the barrel. It is intended to increase range and precision against aerial targets. The weapon's optimal range is out to 50 meters, but the gun can reach 100 meters.
What makes the Drone Guardian useful for counter-UAS, Gabriele de Plano, vice president of product marketing and communication for law enforcement and defense at Beretta, said, is its specialized ammunition, made by Beretta's Norma Precision. The Swedish-based company has developed tungsten shots, Anti-Drone Long Effective Range, for hitting drone targets.
De Plano told BI that with counter-UAS being seen as a "layered defense system," with electronic warfare like signal jamming, lasers, and kinetic (physical strike) systems, "if that drone is able to pierce all those layers of defense, ultimately it will get down to the dismounted soldier that has the last ditch of defense."
There's no perfect solution, he added. "But it gives them a chance to hit" in that shorter distance.
The war in Ukraine has seen both sides using shotguns to shoot down drones. Russia has been giving soldiers specific shotguns, like the VEPR-12 semi-automatic and the MR-155, for targeting drones. These weapons that might have once served another combat purpose are just one element of the counter-drone developments happening at an unbelievable pace in this war.
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