A new “drone killer” cartridge aims to give Marines a simple, low‑cost way to stop small drones with the rifles they already carry episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 20, 2026 · 9 MIN

A new “drone killer” cartridge aims to give Marines a simple, low‑cost way to stop small drones with the rifles they already carry

from The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

As adversaries lean heavily on small drones for surveillance and strikes, U.S. forces need a response that doesn’t slow them down. Engineers focused on low cost and plug‑and‑play integration and early testing suggests they may have found it. We talk through the capability with Brian Hoffman, Man-Portable Weapons Chief Engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As adversaries lean heavily on small drones for surveillance and strikes, U.S. forces need a response that doesn’t slow them down. Engineers focused on low cost and plug‑and‑play integration and early testing suggests they may have found it. We talk through the capability with Brian Hoffman, Man-Portable Weapons Chief Engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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A new “drone killer” cartridge aims to give Marines a simple, low‑cost way to stop small drones with the rifles they already carry

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This episode was published on March 20, 2026.

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As adversaries lean heavily on small drones for surveillance and strikes, U.S. forces need a response that doesn’t slow them down. Engineers focused on low cost and plug‑and‑play integration and early testing suggests they may have found it. We talk...

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