POTD: Benelli’s M4 Drone Guardian Takes Aim at UAV Threats
In today’s Photo of the Day, the drone hunter shoulders a Benelli M4 A.I. Drone Guardian and readies a belt of tungsten-shot ammo from Norma’s AD-LER line. The Drone Guardian, a 12-gauge semi-auto with Benelli’s Advanced Impact system, is purpose-built for neutralizing small UAVs. Its modified barrel-and-choke design produces tighter, denser pellet clouds and extends effective engagement range to roughly 50 meters. In ideal conditions, even out to 100 meters according to the specifications.
In the dronehunter’s hands, every round carries a 34-gram payload of tungsten pellets, optimized for impact and penetration against drone airframes. The AD-LER is short for Anti-Drone - Long Effective Range, and its shells feature 2.7mm No. 6 tungsten shot and a muzzle velocity of 405 m/s, designed specifically for use in shotguns that can handle the high pressure, such as the Benelli M4.
In reality, these anti-drone shells were sold out despite being super-expensive. So we’re using Geco instead for this photo shoot. The shotgun belt is made by King Competition and designed and used by World Champs in dynamic shooting, like Kim Leppänen.
With the telescopic stock collapsed and compact profile suited for quick deployment, the Drone Guardian transforms into a (relatively) lightweight drone-interdiction tool. The red dot is a Steiner MPS.
Want your own? Check out this link for more information: https://www.benellidefense.com/product/m4-a-i-drone-guardian-185/
The vehicle is an old Volvo C303 (TGB11) 4x4 All-Terrain-Truck. Thanks to Thomas for the photo shoot.
Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics, thermals and suppressors. TCCC Certified. Occasionaly seen in a 6x6 Bug Out Vehicle, always with a big smile.
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Are there any pics of the pattern these shells throw at 50yds/meters?
For this role, I would choose mag-fed shotguns.