Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) are rapidly reshaping frontline tactics to counter one of the most lethal and persistent threats of the modern battlefield: Russian first-person-view (FPV) kamikaze drones. Drawing on hard-earned combat experience, the elite 3rd Regiment of Ukraine’s SOF has developed and refined a close-range counter-drone doctrine centered on the use of shotguns—an approach that underscores how low-tech solutions, when paired with rigorous training, can blunt high-tech threats.
According to material released by Ukrainian military sources, the new methods emerged directly from frontline necessity. Russian FPV drones, often inexpensive and manually piloted from kilometers away, have become a defining feature of the conflict. They are used to hunt infantry in trenches, tree lines, and urban ruins, striking with little warning and high precision. For Ukrainian troops operating in environments where electronic warfare (EW) coverage is patchy or unavailable, the ability to physically destroy an incoming drone can mean the difference between survival and catastrophe.
At a classified training ground in eastern Ukraine, soldiers from the 3rd SOF Regiment are undergoing intensive drills designed specifically to defeat FPV threats. Armed with 12-gauge shotguns—both pump-action and semi-automatic—operators train to engage fast-moving aerial targets at close range. Far from improvised, the program reflects a structured training cycle built on real combat feedback, with lessons continuously fed back into doctrine. What began as a niche survival technique has now matured into a standardized capability being exported to other Ukrainian units.
The rationale behind the shotgun-centric approach is straightforward. Missile-based air defense systems are scarce, expensive, and ill-suited to countering small, low-flying drones. Electronic jamming systems, while effective in some circumstances, can be overwhelmed, degraded, or simply unavailable at the tactical edge. A shotgun, by contrast, is cheap, portable, and lethal within the short engagement envelope typical of FPV attacks. If a drone can be detected in time, a well-placed blast of shot can disable or destroy it before it reaches its target.
Training, however, is the decisive factor. Ukrainian SOF instructors emphasize that the weapon alone is insufficient. Troops are drilled against drone analogues flying at varying speeds, altitudes, and angles—head-on approaches, high-speed dives, and unpredictable flanking maneuvers. Dummy drones are fitted with flashing lights or smoke to replicate visual cues under combat conditions, while instructors add battlefield noise, explosions, and distractions to stress-test reactions.
Soldiers practice ambidextrous firing, rapid target reacquisition, and shooting from behind cover, replicating the constraints of trenches, foxholes, and urban rubble. Engagements are often conducted from awkward positions, reflecting the reality that FPV drones frequently attack from unexpected directions. The goal is to build muscle memory and confidence, ensuring that operators can respond instinctively in the split seconds available before impact.
Situational awareness is treated as equally critical. FPV drones rarely appear in isolation; they exploit terrain and known flight corridors, skimming treetops or following roads and trench lines. Ukrainian troops are trained to recognize these patterns and, crucially, the distinctive acoustic signatures of drone motors. Spotters play a key role, calling out threats and coordinating rapid responses. In many sectors, where EW support is degraded by Russian countermeasures or terrain, such manual detection and engagement methods represent the last line of defense.
The effectiveness of this approach has drawn attention well beyond Ukraine. As FPV drones proliferate globally, arms manufacturers and militaries alike are revisiting the shotgun as a viable counter–unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) tool at the infantry level. At Milipol 2025, Belgian firm FN Herstal showcased a tactical variant of the Winchester SX4 semi-automatic shotgun adapted for military and security forces. Chambered in 12-gauge and capable of firing both 2¾-inch and 3-inch magnum shells, the SX4 Tactical features a gas-operated action that allows rapid follow-up shots—an essential requirement when engaging agile FPV drones.
Weighing approximately 3.2 kilograms depending on configuration, the shotgun’s relatively light profile reduces fatigue during prolonged operations. Integrated Picatinny rails allow the mounting of red-dot optics, significantly improving target acquisition against small aerial threats. While FN Herstal has not publicly confirmed the development of specialized anti-drone ammunition, the platform’s high cycling rate and modularity have already positioned it as a practical solution for units operating in drone-saturated environments.
Other manufacturers are pursuing similar paths. Beretta Defense Technologies is reportedly developing enhanced 12-gauge ammunition optimized for aerial targets, with refined spread patterns and fragmentation effects intended to maximize damage to rotors, cameras, and control circuitry. In Turkey, companies such as Hatsan have begun marketing tactical shotgun variants featuring reinforced polymer stocks, recoil mitigation systems, and improved sighting options specifically branded for counter-UAS roles.
Germany’s Rheinmetall has taken a more integrated approach, incorporating shotgun modules into mobile counter-drone stations mounted on tactical vehicles. These systems combine sensors, cueing technologies, and kinetic interceptors to protect convoys and forward operating bases, reflecting a layered defense concept in which infantry weapons complement electronic and sensor-based solutions.
Interest is not limited to Europe. In the United States, the M1014 Joint Service Combat Shotgun has been evaluated by the U.S. Marine Corps and other services for short-range drone defense. Trials have explored the use of heavier shot loads, including steel and tungsten pellets, to improve lethality against aerial targets. Paired with red-dot optics and audio-visual detection aids, the shotgun has been tested in urban, jungle, and mountainous environments—settings where larger air defense systems are either impractical or unavailable.
Operational data from multiple forces indicate that shotguns can achieve high kill probabilities within their effective range, particularly against small quadcopters constructed from lightweight plastics and composites. A single blast can shatter a rotor, sever wiring, or destroy the onboard camera, causing the drone to crash or detonate prematurely. Buckshot rounds, in particular, are seen as offering an effective balance between spread and stopping power, increasing hit probability against erratically moving targets.
As a result, several NATO and allied militaries are incorporating similar tactics into their training regimes. The U.S. Marine Corps has expanded short-range counter-drone drills, Israel’s Defense Forces have tested tactical shotguns in dense urban counter-UAS exercises, and Australian infantry units have conducted drone-stopping drills with pump-action shotguns in jungle and built-up environments. Across these forces, the emphasis mirrors Ukraine’s experience: decentralized, soldier-level solutions are essential against ubiquitous unmanned threats.
For Ukraine, the implications are immediate and profound. The 3rd SOF Regiment’s training program has already been extended to National Guard units and regular infantry brigades. Instructors stress that close-range drone defense must become a basic soldier skill, akin to camouflage or first aid. The sheer volume of FPV drones on the battlefield has collapsed traditional air defense hierarchies, pushing responsibility downward from centralized systems to squads and even individual soldiers.
While Kyiv continues to press Western partners for more advanced jamming systems, sensors, and missile-based defenses, the resurgence of the shotgun highlights a hard reality of modern warfare. Drones that cost a few hundred dollars can destroy armored vehicles, artillery pieces, or command posts worth millions. Against such asymmetry, a cheap, readily available weapon—backed by disciplined training—can provide disproportionate defensive value.
The shift toward decentralized, kinetic drone defense signals a broader transformation underway in military thinking. As unmanned systems proliferate and evolve toward swarming and greater autonomy, the race is no longer solely about building smarter drones. It is equally about empowering soldiers at the tactical edge with simple, reliable tools and the training to use them effectively. In Ukraine’s trenches, the humble 12-gauge shotgun has become an unlikely symbol of adaptation—proof that in modern war, innovation often lies not in replacing old tools, but in reimagining how they are used.
