{
  "id": 2793529,
  "title": "Self-driving Ford F-250 truck with shotgun-equipped drone-killing turret tested by US Army — autonomous system designed to blast fast-moving drones at between 10 and 100 meters range",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/self-driving-ford-f-250-truck-with-shotgun-equipped-drone-killing",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-23T13:19:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Hardware",
    "slug": "tom-s-hardware",
    "url": "https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/drones/self-driving-ford-f-250-truck-with-shotgun-equipped-drone-killing-turret-tested-by-us-army-autonomous-system-designed-to-blast-fast-moving-drones-at-between-10-and-100-meters-range"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On August 18, the U.S. Army conducted a live-fire exercise at Fort Bragg to test an autonomous breaching vehicle equipped with a counter-UAS (C-UAS) turret. This development is part of Project Sandhills 2.0, which builds upon the original Sandhills project that created the Lancer UGV. The new addition to the arsenal features Ford F-250 trucks, some of which are armed with a shotgun-equipped drone-killing turret. The Sandhills 2.0 project aims to enhance breaching operations by countering the growing threat of fast-moving drones. One of the key components of this autonomous system is the Edda counter-unmanned aircraft system turret, developed by Austin-based 9 Mothers. The Edda turret is capable of detecting and engaging drones with a 7-inch diameter or larger, at ranges between 10 and 100 meters. Weighing around 23kg (50 pounds), the turret operates acoustically to avoid detection by advanced enemy drone sensors before employing a visual tracking system to lock onto the target. Once engaged, the Edda turret uses a shotgun to neutralize the threat. According to 9 Mothers, the Edda turret is an \"ultra-fast, ultra-light, ultra-accurate motion platform\" capable of making 5° rotations in under 15 milliseconds and achieving 1.5 arcminute precision. While more test data would be beneficial, such as the percentage of drones destroyed with a single shot, the maximum speed of drones the Edda can engage, and its handling capacity per minute, the addition of this C-UAS turret to the autonomous breaching vehicle represents a significant advancement in countering rapidly evolving unmanned aerial system threats.",
  "summary": "The US Army tested an autonomous breaching vehicle with an onboard counter-UAS turret during a live-fire exercise at Fort Bragg on August 18.",
  "key_points": [
    "U.S. Army tests autonomous breaching vehicle with C-UAS turret on August 18",
    "Ford F-250 trucks equipped with shotgun-equipped drone-killing turret",
    "Edda turret detects and engages drones 10-100 meters away with shotgun"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}