- France’s 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment is training soldiers to use 12-gauge shotguns against FPV drones as part of its expanding counter-UAS capabilities.
- Western forces increasingly view shotguns as a practical hard-kill option for countering fast, low-flying drones that evade traditional air defenses.
As Western armies adapt to lessons from the war in Ukraine, France’s 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment has begun training its soldiers to use shotguns against small aerial threats, including low-cost FPV drones.
“In an environment of constant aerial threat, the regiment is expanding its counter-drone capabilities,” the French military unit said in a recent statement. The training course includes 12-gauge shotgun drills on clay targets, followed by live-fire exercises on drones. “Objective: detect, track, and neutralize the threat,” the regiment said.
This approach reflects a broader shift among European forces as they study Ukraine’s air defense improvisations and the use of commercial drones in combat. French soldiers are being taught to engage aerial targets at close range—skills that mirror tactics widely adopted by Ukrainian troops defending against first-person-view (FPV) loitering munitions.
Marco Angelelli, a shooting instructor and President of the FITAV Commission for Relations with the Armed Forces, said France’s latest efforts represent a wider Western trend. “The French Army intensifies training in C-UAS/FPV drones with shotguns. More and more Western militaries are relying on shotguns to defend the latest C-UAS. The increasing use of fiber-optic or AI-guided FPV drones makes the hard-kill solution the most effective,” Angelelli said.
Angelelli, who has previously argued that shotguns are making a return to the battlefield in a new role, said the weapons offer a rapid-response countermeasure in layered defense systems. FPV drones, often too fast or low-flying for conventional air defense interceptors, can be intercepted by trained infantry armed with buckshot.
The French Army’s adoption of shotgun-based countermeasures suggests that European forces are preparing for drone swarms, low-cost munitions, and irregular battlefield dynamics seen in Ukraine. Units like the 2e régiment d’infanterie de marine are likely to expand the use of man-portable hard-kill systems as part of their evolving short-range air defense strategy.
In recent months, multiple NATO militaries have publicly acknowledged efforts to test unconventional C-UAS weapons, including shotguns, net launchers, and remote-controlled turrets mounted on vehicles.
As drone warfare accelerates, Western militaries appear to be lowering the cost and complexity of their response—pairing old-world weapons with modern threats. The shotgun, once relegated to niche roles in urban or close-quarters combat, may now have a new place in frontline air defense.