US Marine Corps trains troops to shoot down drones with rifles, shotguns

Published Aug 13, 03:09 PM UTC

The Marine Corps has introduced new service-level training to teach Marines how to counter small combat drones using standard infantry weapons. The training began with a three-day event at Twentynine Palms, California, involving Marines from the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions. Participants engaged simulated enemy drones from as close as 20 meters using rifles (M27 IAR), shotguns (M1014), and grenade launchers (M32A1, M320), as well as electronic anti-drone weapons. The exercise, created by the Tactical Training and Exercise Control Group (TTECG), included house clearing and patrol exercises to test denial, detection, and defeat of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS). The training is part of broader U.S. military efforts accelerated by the war in Ukraine, where drones have become a dominant battlefield force. The Marine Corps has also established the Marine Corps Robotics Integration Group (MCRIG), begun stockpiling specialized anti-drone ammunition, and contracted for AI-enabled Bullfrog M240 machine guns to counter larger drones.