h a l f b a k e r yWarm and Fussy
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This idea combines a physical shield with multiple, short shotgun barrels protruding from the 'business end' of the shield. Each barrel is loaded with a buckshot or flechette shell. Instead of a heavy 'action', each barrel is fired using a lightweight electro-mechanical firing pin - one for each barrel.
The barrel could be made of aluminum to save weight (see like for a lightweight aluminium shotgun). Or perhaps the barrels are one-time-use carbon fiber barrels with a cartridge and electro-mechanical firing mechanism pre-fitted. To reload a barrel, you just eject the spent barrel and slide the new one into the shield.
A soldier uses the shield to protect himself, saturating the sky in the general direction of the drone with buckshot or flechettes that damage propellors or even cut optic fiber connections. Some barrels fire special 'chaff cartridges' - these contain 6 cm or shorter metal-coated glass fibers that disrupt radio signals to the drone. The electro-mechanical firing system continues firing from different barrels as long as instructed. A transparent armored glass panel allows the soldier to observe drone movement and turn the shield to compensate for its movement. To keep reaction forces balanced, the shield fires simultaneously from barrels arrayed on both side of its centre axis.
The shield may be strapped to the arm and shoulder of a soldier. It may also have a mechanical armature that transmits the reaction force of the firing to ground. Bigger version of the shield may have a motorized armature slaved to microphone, radar, lidar or camera systems that turn it to meet oncoming threats quickly.
Ideally, you'd have an inner and outer shield superimposed on each other. The outer shield is curved. It is connected with movable springs to a second more V-shaped inner shield that is hinged for flexibility. The V-shape also better protects the soldier in case the drone munition detonates. As barrels fire, the outer shield flexes and becomes more convex. Recoil vectors partially cancel through geometry. The shield computes the flex of the outer-shield and takes advantage if necessary to send projectiles in a wider spray.
Future advanced versions could use stacked projectile ammunition systems similar to the now-defunct 'Metal Storm' system of the early 2000s. This could deal with multiple waves of drones without reloading.
Another idea is ammunition that fires a line-charge, similar to anti-mine charges used to breach minefields. This would unroll a long explosive tube in the air in proximity to the drone. This tube then blows up, filling the air around the drone with projectiles.
Baby Bretton shotgun
https://www.reddit....y_bretton_12_gauge/
Just an idea of how lightweight you can get - this is an all-aluminium double-barrel shotgun 12-gauge shotgun. It weighs in at 2.2 kg for the entire gun. [sonam, Dec 06 2025]
Anti-bomb netting held up by drones
Anti-bomb_20netting..._20up_20by_20drones
A related idea: Anti-drone and anti-glide bomb netting held up by heavy-lift drones [sonam, Dec 07 2025]
Priorities
https://existentialcomics.com/comic/632
Technically there are some historical errors in this comic, but I'll let you find them for yourselves. [pertinax, Dec 14 2025]
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Why not just delegate all this to another drone? |
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@normzone - there was news about a Ukrainian double-barrel shotgun drone prototype about a year ago. This system too could be mounted on vehicle, ship or aviation platform. |
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[+] I'm all for new drone defense, even halfbaked defense. I think about it all the time. What is this shield made of? How heavy? It seems that personal protection always is much too heavy, esp. in addition to regular gear. At present one or two guys in the unit have a 12-gauge with specialized anti-drone rounds, or the guy in the bed of the supply truck has it. |
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The most effective measure to date is an electro-optical+IR array that sights for a 7.62mm machine gun with fragmenting or explosive rounds. It's only a couple of hundred pounds and can be mounted in the bed of a truck or on a stationary base. Very quick; multiple drones at once, and takes the human out of the equation. |
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I'm not sure if the development of a personal protection system will evolve much beyond specialized shells for a shotgun; they are so efficient and user-friendly. The movement seems to be toward lightweight automatic systems with a human in the loop. |
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@minoradjustments, I think about it often too. Most of the shield could be carbon fiber. Perhaps even the shotgun barrels could be one-time-use carbon fiber barrels. Shotguns are useful for personal protection, but what if you miss? Or you need to reload as the drone dives down at you at 350 kmph? Also, have you seen the video of a soldier hunted by 5 drones? He gets off alive because he uses a tree as a shield. |
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Drone defense is the next big challenge because we're getting into that science fiction world where before a war you can just do a quick calculation to see who would win based on one thing: which side has the most drones. One side has a million, the other has 20 million, not even really worth pulling the trigger on that matchup. You'd factor in metrics like relative efficiency of the various designs but you could still make a pretty good guess and like with nukes, assumed outcome might be the big factor in play, not actual use of the weapons. |
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Reminds me of other tectonic shifts in warfare, 1- Kinetic weapons, arrows, spears, etc, 2- Horses, the stirrup, 3- Gunpowder, 4- The machine gun, 5- The airplane then 6- The massive shift with nuclear weapons where for the first time it wasn't worth going to war, both sides would get destroyed in minutes, no money in it. Now with this drone thing you get that science fiction episode where the weaker side is told they'd lose so they just put some amount of their people in death chambers. Star Trek episode or something, don't remember. Anyway, the disruption to this threat is any defensive mechanism that's cheaper than a sky full of attack drones and it really does just come down to cost. If the laser thing pans out we should be good, but kinetic stuff needs to be put into the mix as well. [+] |
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How about we stop trying to kill each other instead?
At the end of the day, we're all just humans. This "us & them" bullshit should've died out long ago.
War these days isn't even about essential resources or survival; it's mostly stupid old men dick-measuring. |
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How about we stop trying to kill each other instead?
At the end of the day, we're all just humans. This "us & them" bullshit should've died out long ago.
War these days isn't even about essential resources or survival; it's mostly stupid old men dick-measuring. |
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How about we stop trying to kill each other instead?
At the end of the day, we're all just humans. This "us & them" bullshit should've died out long ago.
War these days isn't even about essential resources or survival; it's mostly stupid old men dick-measuring. |
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(Sorry, some weird glitch in the postage. [sonam], feel free to tidy up.) |
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As he held aloft the glorious banner of victory, he paused to reflect. So much suffering, so much pain, was it worth it? With that, the gladiator left the field of battle, but as he passed the vague shape that was his former enemy, he paused and bowed his head. A subtle salute? Perhaps. An acknowledgement of the humanity of his fallen opponent and former foe? Maybe. As the sun set on the field of battle, like it had countless times before, the warrior walked away. Along his path, silhouetted birds in the trees overhead serenaded the coming nightfall, and the arrival of the peaceful Moon. |
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We're the descendants of thousands of warriors that have wielded rocks, clubs, swords and any manner of tools of death. It's what we are, it's in our blood. |
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So let's turn that ability to bravely face death towards the challenges we, as the warriors of humanity itself, must all face someday. Let's fight the darkness of uninhabited worlds, the cold or Mars (New Earth) the darkness of Titan. If a brave warrior dies creating a city on a new world, lets have his descendants honor him for creating this new outpost of life, not just for humanity, but for the other creatures of Earth that will accompany us on our journey to the stars. This ultimate battle won’t just be about the survival of mankind, it will be about the survival of all living things. We are the vanguard of life itself. |
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I was getting “Internal error” messages posting this too. Maybe it triggered a bad poetry sensor. |
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@doctorremulac3, @neutrinos_shadow - Good points all. Wars should end. Intensive simulation, possibly involving a trusted arbiter should be used in calculating negotiation positions, with the end goal must be to spare human lives. Ping-pong assault that exchange possession of a few sq km at a time benefit no human. |
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The duplicate posts remain for now; I get "Internal error/bad arguments to library call" trying to remove them |
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"the weaker side is told they'd lose so they just put some amount of their people in death chambers." |
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- I'd like the opposite of that - the weaker side |
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@doctorremulac3, @neutrinos_shadow - Good points all. Wars should end. Intensive simulation, possibly involving a trusted arbiter should be used in calculating negotiation positions, with the end goal must be to spare human lives. Ping-pong assault that exchange possession of a few sq km at a time benefit no human. |
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The duplicate posts remain for now; I get "Internal error/bad arguments to library call" trying to remove them |
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"the weaker side is told they'd lose so they just put some amount of their people in death chambers." |
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- I'd like the opposite of that - the weaker side |
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But in the meantime, there's no excuse to stop half-baking. See link. |
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