US Marine Corps selects AI-powered Bullfrog autonomous weapon system for drone defense

Published Jul 21, 11:30 AM UTC

Allen Control Systems (ACS) announced on July 21, 2026, that the US Marine Corps has selected the Bullfrog autonomous weapon system for integration into its Ground Based Air Defense (GBAD) program. The AI-enabled system detects, tracks, and automatically aims firearms against aerial drone threats. It will be incorporated into the Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System (L-MADIS), a counter-unmanned aircraft system mounted on two vehicles that relies heavily on electronic warfare. The Bullfrog M240 variant, compatible with the M240 machine gun, has a maximum effective range of nearly half a mile, can attack drones weighing up to 1,320 pounds, and claims a cost-per-kill as low as $10. The system is already in use by the Army and Navy and has been approved by the Pentagon's Joint Interagency Task Force 401. The selection comes as conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East highlight the economic imbalance of using expensive interceptor missiles against cheap drones, such as Iran's Shahed drones costing around $35,000 compared to $4 million interceptors.