With the explosive rise in the use of cheap battlefield unmanned systems in the past several years, ballistic options are now the chief countermeasure.
While this has seen a resurgence of love for such simple items as shotguns with specialized ammunition— Benelli is even marketing and reportedly selling a dedicated M4 A.I. Drone Guardian model as fast as they can crank them out– and a whole new breed of SPAAGs of every stripe, it seems that drone-on-drone aerial combat is, in many cases, the most effective answer.
Ukraine began to use “kamikaze” explosive-laden drones to combat Russian UAVs at the front in early 2024 and has even advanced to the point of having shotgun-carrying drones that swat Russian Mavics in mid-air and electronic warfare jammer FPVs that zap the connectivity of enemy drones.
Now, whole new generations of interceptor drones such as the 22-pound Sting and the gently larger Bullet have been developed by outfits such as the Ukrainian non-profit organization Wild Hornets.
Simple to make with off-the-shelf parts and 3D printing, they are being assembled at blistering rates for a cost estimated as low as $1,000 a pop and can reach speeds of over 195 mph, enabling them to chase down enemy drones at anything under 10,000 feet and give them the hard goodbye.
Ukraine claims that Sting alone has killed 900 drones just in the past couple of months. Sure, it is a 1:1 kill rate, if not worse, but as the Russians are spending a reported $30K a pop on Shahed (Gerad) attack drones, the Ukrainians have the clear advantage in that equation
The Ukrainian military PAO recently released this video of the counter-UAV det of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade “Magura” killing Russian Lancet loitering munitions, Private (STC Orlan-10) UAVs, along with Molniya and Shahed attack drones in the Sumy Region. It’s not subtitled, but no translation is needed.
It is estimated that as many as 250,000 drones are built, acquired, or imported per month in the conflict.
HII is pushing hard to get eyes on its new Romulus unmanned/minimally manned surface vessel concept, and for good reason, as it looks like it has potential as a “sea truck” that can act alongside a more conventional battle group to add more missiles, UAVs, and UUVs to the fight. The “high-endurance, 25+ knot” Romulus is 190 feet long and uses a commercial-standard hull “for durability and rapid production.” It has an advertised range of 2,500nm and can rearm/refuel at sea.
A large payload deck behind its superstructure has enough space for six 40-foot ISO shipping containers, which logically allows for six Typhon SMRF (Mk 70 Mod 1 Payload Delivery System) erector launchers, each of which can hold four Tomahawks or SM-6 missiles.
There is also enough open deck over the stern for a vertical launch drone system– a Shield AI MQ-35A V-BAT is depicted lifting off– as well as twin deployment cradles for HII’s Remus series UUVs. As the Navy is currently running an undisclosed number of Remus 100 (Mk 18 Swordfish) and at least 90 larger Remus 600 (Mk 18 Mod 2 Knifefish) models for UXO/EOD/MCM, this is not a stretch.
While shown as part of a carrier battle group, I think it could be interesting to pair up 2-3 of these with a Flight IIA/III DDG and perhaps a couple of Independence-class LCSs for extra helicopters as a surface action group.
With just 500~ bluejackets, you would have as many as six embarked MH-60s, room for a few vertical-launched drones, some decent UUV capability, a 5-inch gun, two 57s, 144-168 strike length VLS cells, three Sea RAMs, and potentially eight NSMs (on the Indies), as well as smaller weapons. Add to that three VBSS teams if on an interdiction mission.
That’s a lot of sea control at the fingertips of an O-5/O-6.
The 2nd Cavalry Regiment, based at Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Germany, will be the first unit to field the recently IOC’d XM204 Top Attack Terrain Shaping Munition.
The regiment is the longest continuously serving cavalry unit in the Army and plays a key role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative.
“For units on the frontlines of deterrence in Europe, having access to advanced terrain-shaping capabilities like the XM204 strengthens our ability to influence key terrain, slow adversary movement, and protect our forces,” said Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, Joint Program Executive Officer for Armaments and Ammunition and Commanding General of Picatinny Arsenal. “This system gives our warfighters a decisive edge as we train and operate alongside NATO allies.”
What is the XM204?
Built by Textron, the XM204 has been in development since 2022 and is a low-profile hand-emplaced anti-tank “smart” mine of a sort.
At 84 pounds, it includes four bouncing top attack munitions with Tantalum explosively formed penetrators that can be fired independently and reach out to 50 meters from the device.
It holds four of these little guys
Rather than old anti-tank mines that require a vehicle weighing over 4 tons to be driven over, the XM204 utilizes seismic sensors with a classified range and, according to reports, programmable target profiles to distinguish between, for example, a bulldozer and a T-72.
Some say it can distinguish between an Abrams and a T-72 as well, which is interesting, but I wouldn’t want to be the Abrams platoon commander to try that for the first time.
It has a 30-minute delay in arming and a timed self-destruct (4 hours, 48 hours, or 15 days) to inert itself if not reclaimed and has “anti-tamper” features to keep the bad guys from using them. They can be collected by follow-on troops and redeployed if they haven’t been tripped.
The XM204 has been successfully used against T-72s at Yuma Proving Ground.
“XM204 anti-vehicle munition with standoff and top attack capabilities designed to support terrain shaping operations in action during a test run. (U.S. Army photo)”
A video of the XM204 in theoretical use:
It is interesting to imagine what Rommel and Montgomery would have done with 10 pallets of these in North Africa in 1942.
A slate of press releases from the Coast Guard has the service spending some big money, something in the area of $378 million, on bettering its aviation and drone/robot inventory.
Those updates, part of the giant OBBBA Homeland Security outlay, will buy, in part:
$4.8 million to procure 16 VideoRay Defender remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to replace Deployable Specialized Forces’ aging fleet. These will be used for waterfront and pier inspections, hull assessments, subsurface infrastructure surveys, disaster response, and search and rescue missions.
$2 million to procure six Qinetiq Squad Packable Utility Robot (SPUR) and 12 mini-SPUR robots to replace outdated unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) at Strike Teams to access and sample air in confined spaces aboard commercial vessels.
$4.3 million to purchase 125 SkyDio X10D [a type that is getting much love from the Department of War lately] short-range unmanned aircraft systems (SR-UAS). The SR-UAS will support operations including infrastructure inspections, environmental observation, pollution response, post-storm surveys, ice surveys, and communications.
$14.3 million order for the delivery of 13 new General Electric T700 engines for its growing MH-60 helicopter fleet. The USCG plans to go to an all-MH-60T rotary wing fleet with 127 new aircraft, replacing older MH-65 Dolphins altogether.
$13.9 million for three AN/APY-11 multi-mode radar systems to be installed on future HC-130Js during the Minotaur missionization process.
Roll that beautiful drone footage sizzle reel, including a good look at 161-pound Shield AI MQ-35A V-BAT, which is currently part of a $198 million contract.
USCGC Polar Star Returns to Seattle after 308 days
After 308 days away from its Seattle home port, the 49-year-old U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew returned home last Tuesday. Of that, 175 days were spent refirbing the 13,500-ton, 399-foot icebreaker, which first took to the water in 1976.
After 308 days away from its Seattle home port, the 49-year-old U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew returned home, Sept. 23, 2025. Upon completing Operation Deep Freeze 2025, Polar Star returned directly to Mare Island Dry Dock in Vallejo, Calif., to complete the final year of a five-year Service Life Extension Program prior to returning to Seattle. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Annika Hirschler.
The crew of the USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) poses for a group photo underneath the cutter’s stern while in dry dock in Vallejo, Calif., Aug. 1, 2025. 250801-G-G0200-1001
The rudder of the USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) is being removed while in a Vallejo, Calif., dry dock, April 1, 2025. The maintenance work completed over the past five years recapitalized integral systems, including propulsion, communication, and machinery control systems. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Nestor Molina)
Upon completing Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2025, Polar Star returned directly to Mare Island Dry Dock in Vallejo, Calif., to complete the final year of a five-year Service Life Extension Program (SLEP).
The maintenance work completed over the past five years recapitalized integral systems, including propulsion, communication, and machinery control systems. These efforts are designed to extend the cutter’s service life as the Coast Guard begins construction of its first Polar Security Cutter. Until PSCs becomes operational, Polar Star will remain the only U.S. icebreaker capable of completing the annual breakout of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, in support of the U.S. Antarctic program (USAP).
The USAF recently released an amazing 36-minute doc, “Dangerous Game” about the 13 April 2024 overnight air-to-air swirling fight involving a squadron of F-16Cs (D.C. Air National Guard’s 113th Wing) and two of F-15Es (335th and 494th FS) vs 185 Shahed loitering munitions, followed by at least 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles.
“I can’t emphasize how dangerous this mission set is. At times, I’m 1,000 feet above the ground. Minsafe altitude was 4,000 feet. I am 3,000 feet below the altitude that is going to keep me alive because I can’t see the ground. There’s not enough ambient light.”
They even tried to get a hole-in-one shot on a moving drone with a LJDAM, as they were out of missiles, with the concept of hitting the ground ahead/around the low-flying UAV and knocking it out with the blossom.
Screaming across the desert to get back to base with all their ordnance expended, they wound up flying through a 360-degree hailstorm of Iranian ballistic missiles being launched ahead of them while IDF ABMs were reaching out and intercepting them in flight above them, leaving green flaming shrapnel to rain down on the F-15Es.
Then came 32-minute Integrated Combat Turnarounds (ICT) to get refueled and rearmed aircraft back in the fight– as Iranian missiles were inbound to their base.
The Las Vegas Metro Police Department, with the help of donations, is building 13 UAV hive “Skyports,” each housing numerous docked and ready to deploy Skydio X-10 quadcopters (38 on hand, supplemented by 12 spare X-10s).
With a 40-minute flight endurance, weather resistance, and rapid deployment capabilities, the Skydio X10 enhances situational awareness. It empowers first responders to make informed, timely decisions during critical operations, making it a vital asset in DFR deployments.
The department has received authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), allowing for remote operation from a central command center.
Skyports are strategically located in areas of high crime or where they are needed most. These drones remain climate-controlled, fully charged, and mission-ready, and are equipped with built-in safety features such as parachutes in the event of an unplanned landing. Anyone who attempts to damage a police drone is subject to the same penalties as damaging a police vehicle.
Going past the Skyports, drone unit vehicles will be on call with 16 smaller Skydio X2s capable of flying out of the back of a marked SUV, presumably four units per shift. Each of these Mobile DFR (Drones as a First Responder) units consists of two officers, or an officer paired with an LVMPD drone pilot and a deployable drone.
“Similar to a traditional K9 unit that deploys trained dogs, the Mobile DFR program deploys drones to provide real-time overwatch and situational awareness from the sky, offering critical support to officers on the ground during high-priority incidents.”
You can bet that this will be policing in the future.
Add to that border security, base security, sovereignty protection, etc., et al.
Palmer Luckey’s California-based Anduril Industries has developed its Ghost Shark XLAUV (Extra-Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) autonomous submarine from rough draft to finished product in three years.
Scalable, it can be anywhere from 20 feet to 98 feet oal with the sweet spot being the 39-ish foot variant, with a square cross-section that can carry and deploy “dozens” of Copperhead-100 class UUVs (or Copperhead-100M loitering munitions) and “multiple” Copperhead-500 class UUVs (or Copperhead-500M loitering munitions), also developed by Anduril.
The Australian government spent A$140M on the program in 2022, and Anduril has invested another $60M in a “sophisticated, robotic XL-AUV manufacturing facility in Australia, where employees are at work to produce entirely sovereign autonomous maritime platforms.”
Now, the Australian MoD has announced an A$1.7B (US$1.12B) Program of Record to deliver a fleet of Ghost Sharks, with production already underway. The five-year contract will support around 120 existing jobs and create more than 150 new jobs at Anduril Australia.
As noted by the company:
The reason for the magnitude of risk-taking in this enterprise is clear: the Ghost Shark’s entry into full-rate production marks the start of a new era of seapower through maritime autonomy. For years, Australia has faced the persistent and threatening presence of Chinese naval assets in its home waters. Ghost Shark is the instantiation of a Program of Record for AUVs that can directly address this challenge through coastal defense patrols and area-wide domain awareness powered by artificial intelligence at scale. Success in this effort would be a landmark opportunity to demonstrate the potential of autonomous seapower to address clear and urgent national security problems.
Ghost Shark can fit inside a 40-foot shipping container, which in turn can fly out on a C-17 or similar. The RAAF flew a prototype to Hawaii for last year’s RIMPAC.
The following is from Anduril on how the Copperhead/Ghost Shark combo can draw a “line in the sea,” so to speak.
So it looks like the DOD (and the Coast Guard) is finally getting serious about UAVs and USVs. Lots of recent developments.
To kick it off, a recent Congressional Research Service report on the U.S. Army’s Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Programs highlights the increase in funding for the UAS, with the Army requesting $803.9 million for procurement and research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) for FY26. Compare this to just $99.9 million in FY24.
In a nod to the increase, the Army formally established the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401) with a mission to enhance the DOD’s unmanned systems and affordable C-sUAS capabilities.
Further, Fort Rucker has established its first Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course.
Speaking of Rucker, during the Army’s Unmanned Aerial Systems and Launched Effects Summit, held Aug. 11-15 on the base, a paratrooper from the 173rd Airborne Brigade “achieved a milestone once unimaginable for conventional Army units: destroying an aircraft in flight using a first-person-view drone carrying an explosive charge.” In short, strapping a remote detonated claymore to a Skydio.
The service has been using small FPVs with charges in exercises in Europe in recent months.
U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade prepare to operate and detonate a live First Person View (FPV) drone at Pabradė Training Area, Lithuania, during a joint forcible entry operation as part of Swift Response 2025 (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jose Lora)
And in Poland, as part of Project Flytrap 4.0, an evolving C-UAS training event, troopers with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment “detected, tracked, engaged and defeated multiple drones at ranges between 500 and 800 meters using the Ballistic Low Altitude Drone Engagement system from a Stryker vehicle.”
BLADE has been fielded slowly since 2019, and is interesting.
Ballistic Low Altitude Drone Engagement, or BLADE, prototypes are mounted on trucks during an engineering test in June at Fort Dix, New Jersey. BLADE is integrated with an armament system to shoot down smaller unmanned aerial systems at close ranges. The test proved that the BLADE system can hit them with only a short burst of fire. (Photo by Marian Popescu, CCDC Armaments Center BLADE team)
“Some of those [drone] threats were being flown simultaneously, so the system defeated one target then quickly targeted and defeated a second target in a matter of seconds,” said David Goldstein, counter-unmanned aerial systems lead for the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey.
With BLADE, a precision radar and C-UAS fire control software are integrated with CROWS hardware and software to assist operators in identifying, tracking, and pointing the weapon to a continually calculated intercept point, enabling the difficult challenge of destroying enemy drones.
Capable of functioning with numerous weapons, the BLADE/CROWS combination at Project Flytrap included an M2 .50-caliber machine gun firing multiround bursts.
The Army has also initiated production of the second tranche of its short-range reconnaissance (SRR) unmanned aircraft systems, and has “selected two vendors to manufacture the SRR system, which will equip the Army’s Transformation in Contact units with advanced, networked communication systems designed to address emerging threats.”
Initial fielding of SRR tranche one began in September 2022, and, to date, the Army has fielded over 16 brigades with this capability. Critical lessons learned and soldier feedback from tranche one were incorporated into tranche two. This strategy of integrating new technologies into future tranches will continue to provide the best UAS capabilities on an accelerated schedule.
Meanwhile, with the Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard announced recently the Initial Operating Capability of the Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Program Executive Office (PEO), “dedicated to the rapid operationalization of the Unmanned Systems Strategic Plan.”
While the service has been sending cutters overseas with contractor-operated Scan Eagle UAVs since 2018 and has been trialing other platforms, a USCG LCDR who has been flying an MQ-9 with the Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Patrol’s Air and Maritime Operations Division out of San Antonio just earned his wings, becoming the Coast Guard’s first aviation vehicle pilot. The service plans to spend $266 million to acquire its own MQ-9 Alphas in the coming months.
And finally, DARPA’s USX-1 Defiant, the No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) platform, was recently christened in Everett, Washington.
The 180-foot-long, 240-ton lightship, which “can handle operations in sea state 5 with no degradation and survive much higher seas,” is completing final systems testing in preparation for an extended at-sea demonstration of reliability and endurance.
While on a shoestring budget (just a tiny 1.37 percent of GDP, hovering at the bottom of NATO with Luxembourg), the Canadian Defence Forces are at least trying to field some new gear.
Besides the build-out of the (admittedly very lightly armed but at least ice capable) six-ship DeWolf-class Arctic patrol ships, a couple of new (to them) weapons platforms have broken cover.
Last month, the RCN armed and deployed a 17-foot uncrewed British Meggitt-OinetiQ Hammerhead USV-T (Unmanned Surface Vehicle, Target) with explosives during Exercise Trident Fury 2025, turning the target drone into a killer drone.
Launched from the City (Halifax)-class frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331) and guided via satellite link, the Hammerhead successfully struck a target vessel, ironically another Hammerhead, destroying both.
With a 135-hp gas 3.0L MerCruiser Alpha 1 engine, the 1-ton Hammerhead can hit 35 knots and has enough fuel for 12-hour operations. No word on how big the charge was, but it looked dramatic. However, keep in mind that this COTS USV has been trialed in swarm operations with up to 40 vessels.
Which could be cool.
Meanwhile, in the Baltics
CAF members, operating in the Multinational Artillery Battalion Group in Latvia, have been operating Saab RBS 70 NG Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORD) systems during Exercise Baltic Zenith.
“From setup to missile launch and teardown, the system was put to the test and delivered the desired effect.”
Members of the Multinational Artillery Battalion Group conduct a teardown of the Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORD) during Exercise BALTIC ZENITH near the Baltic Sea, Latvia, on 04 June 2025. Photo: Corporal Michael Vandenbroek, Canadian Armed Forces Imagery Technician
Members of the Multinational Artillery Battalion Group conduct setup of the Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORD) during Exercise BALTIC ZENITH near the Baltic Sea, Latvia, on 04 June 2025. Photo: Corporal Michael Vandenbroek, Canadian Armed Forces Imagery Technician
Medium shot of the moment a missile is fired from the Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORD) by the Multinational Artillery Battalion Group during Exercise BALTIC ZENITH near the Baltic Sea, Latvia, on 04 June 2025. Photo: Corporal Michael Vandenbroek, Canadian Armed Forces Imagery Technician
Wide drone shot of the Multinational Artillery Battalion Group firing the Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORD) during Exercise BALTIC ZENITH near the Baltic Sea, Latvia, on 04 June 2025. Photo: Corporal Michael Vandenbroek, Canadian Armed Forces Imagery Technician
Canada has been acquiring a small number of RBS-70s since 2024, specifically “to counter the assessed air threat within the Baltic region.”
The platform, originally fielded in the late 1970s, has been steadily updated and is in its at least fifth generation at this point. It has recently claimed several low-flying (under 10,000 feet ceiling) Russian aircraft (Ka-52, Mi-8, Su-24, and large UAVs) in Ukraine– so you know it works.
You would be remiss to not consider their use by the Marine Littoral Regiments in their area denial role in the Pacific.
Originally dubbed the Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense, or IM-SHORAD, system when the Army issued an initial $1.219 billion contract to Gen Dyn in September 2020 after three years of prototyping tests– the system became known officially as SGT Stout, in honor of Vietnam War ADA-unit Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Mitchell W. Stout, in June 2024.
Integrating four to eight updated Stinger short-range SAMs, a Northrop Grumman XM914 30mm chain gun, an onboard radar system, and optional Hellfire missiles onto an 8×8 Stryker A1 light armored vehicle, SGT Stout is reportedly able to provide local defense against drones and other threats on the modern battlefield, with enough mobility to support all Army formations. An M240 GPMG is also fitted coaxil.
The platform recently completed an overseas deployment and live fire exercise in Norway and was shown off for the crowds at the 250th Army birthday festival in Washington, D.C.
Stinger missiles are mounted on an SGT Stout during Formidable Shield 25, May 8, 2025, in Andøya, Norway. Formidable Shield 25 is a U.S. Sixth Fleet-led, multinational exercise focused on integrated air and missile defense. The live-fire training brings together naval, air, and ground forces from 10 NATO allies and partners. The 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is supporting the exercise with short-range air defense capabilities. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Alexander Watkins)
A SGT STOUT Manuever-Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) Stryker is on display during the U.S. Army 250th Birthday Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., June 14, 2025. The name “SGT STOUT” honors a fallen soldier, continuing the Army tradition of memorializing heroes through vehicle dedications. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Jose Rolando Garcia)
With that in mind, the below contract announcement on Monday should come as no surprise.
General Dynamics Land Systems Inc., Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $621,058,065 modification (P00056) to contract W31P4Q-20-D-0039 for SGT Stout systems, parts, services, and support. Bids were solicited via the internet, with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 29, 2028. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
The Army originally planned to field 144 air defense systems to four battalions by fiscal year 2025, with an additional 18 systems for training, operational spares, and testing. This expansion would bring the total number of systems to over 300 vehicles, enough for as many as eight battalions.
