Latest news with #Kinard
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
26-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
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. Thinking about a new way of war 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.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Fort Benning soldiers optimize drone capabilities at new innovation lab
FORT BENNING, Ga. () — The U.S. Army has been implementing drone technology into its operations for years, in an effort to reduce unnecessary soldier deaths. Fort Benning's experimental force and Maneuver Innovation Lab play key roles in optimizing drone capabilities. 'Alright, just go through the box there,' Sgt. Zakary Kinard instructs Pfc. Sebastian Kelleher, who is piloting palm-sized drone through an obstacle course. Kinard and Kelleher both work with the U.S. Army's experimental force. Part of their mission is training with drone technology, as well as collaborating with Fort Benning's new Maneuver Innovation Lab. An infantryman by training, Kelleher has adapted to working with his team but it was jarring at first. 'Being that I was mainly trained to have a weapon on ground and walk with my feet, having a drone in hand was completely new,' Kelleher said. He joined the Army about a year-and-a-half ago, joining the experimental force after finishing his initial training. The job has involved plenty on-the-spot learning. 'A lot of this is experimental, so his [Kinard's] training is directly, like, applied to what you're going to be doing outside,' Kelleher said. 'You've got to trust your equipment, trust your team.' Working with the Maneuver Innovation Lab, the experimental force tests drones and other technology, optimizing it for use by the Army. The lab is a collaboration between soldiers, Columbus State University students, vendors, contractors and potential contractors, who work together to identify technology strengths and weaknesses and engineer solutions. For drones, they're looking at everything from visuals and range to battery life and load-carrying capacity, which all impact usage in military operations. 'The purpose of, you know, the Black Hornet, all the different aerial assets that we have, is to, you know, gain situational awareness on the battlefield,' Kinard said. 'It minimizes the threat level to us ourselves and partnering forces.' The Black Hornet is a short-range reconnaissance drone. According to Kinard, the Army can use it in place of a human to conduct surveillance and check hallways and rooms for signs of danger. 'We always want to put the technology in front of the forces just to eliminate casualties,' Kinard said. But using drone technology in place of soldiers can still come with caveats. According to Kelleher, the Black Hornet drone, specifically, is slow-moving and has a battery life of just 40 minutes. Its docking station has a battery life of three hours and a charge time of about an hour-and-a-half. Drones are also unable to gather all of the same information a human would. 'As soldiers, we're trained to have, to use, all of our senses,' said Kinard. 'So, we're not necessarily getting all the feedback that we would if we had an actual soldier out there.' Whether a soldier will go in person or use a drone to conduct reconnaissance depends on the situation and its risk level. Kinard said, 'There's times that we would put a person out there. We just try to eliminate it as much as possible with the assets that we have.' According to Kelleher, some recent suggestions the experimental force has made at the Maneuver Innovation Lab are already being implemented. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Community College System approves legislative agenda
Boone Kinard, executive director of external affairs for the Alabama Community College System, speaks at the monthly board meeting on March 12, 2025, in Montgomery, Alabama. Kinard presented a legislative update to the ACCS Board of Trustees. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Community College System approved its legislative agenda at its monthly board meeting on Wednesday. With the Legislature almost halfway through the 2025 session, some of ACCS' priorities have already made it through both chambers of the Legislature. Boone Kinard, executive director of external affairs, told the board that HB 102, sponsored by Rep. Jeanna Ross, R-Guntersville, passed and is awaiting a signature from Gov. Kay Ivey. 'Every kid in the state, regardless of your zip code, who wants to take advantage of a dual enrollment course, this bill will allow them to do that,' Kinard said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The legislation prohibits school districts from preventing students from entering dual enrollment programs, which allow high school students to take college courses for college credit at community colleges and universities. A request for comment from Ivey's office was sent Wednesday afternoon. Kinard also highlighted HB 266, sponsored by Rep. Mat Woods, R-Jasper, also known as the Restoring Educational Advancement of Completing High School (REACH) Act. The legislation would create a program for high schoolers that drop out of high school to get their high school diploma from their previous high school. 'So this bill would expand this program and would allow more students to take advantage of it,' Kinard said. 'It would also require us to work with the State Department of Education to get better data.' The bill has passed the House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. Kinard also said the system requested an amendment for a paid parental leave bill that would include community college educators. SB 199, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, would provide up to eight weeks of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave to state employees in most cases. 'Community college employees were inadvertently left out of the original version of the bill. We've engaged with the governor's office,' Kinard said. 'We've been able to add an amendment to the bill to add our community college employees to make sure that they can receive this benefit should this bill pass.' The system's agenda also supports the creation of a state lottery to fund scholarships for any Alabama resident to attend a state public, two-year community and technical college. Legislation for a state lottery and gaming failed on the last day of the 2024 session. So far, there have not been any bills filed to create a lottery. The board will meet on April 9 at Jefferson State Community College for its next meeting. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
