Beretta’s New Counter-Drone System Packs Eight Benelli M4 Shotguns Onto A Remote Turret

There is no shortage of ways to shoot down a drone, but putting eight shotguns on a remote-controlled turret is one of the more unusual approaches. That’s exactly what the LIVET Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) brings to the counter-uncrewed aircraft systems (C-UAS) fight, combining a bank of Italian-made Benelli shotguns with AI-driven target tracking and remote weapon operation.

The LIVET Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) with its armament of eight Italian-made Benelli shotguns. DUALEE

Developed through a collaboration between Beretta Defense Technologies and Italian technology company DUALEE, the LIVET is designed to address one of the most significant challenges facing modern militaries, namely, the proliferation of small, inexpensive drones that can pose a disproportionate threat to much more valuable military equipment and critical infrastructure, and above all else, personnel.

The system recently completed a live demonstration in Denmark in front of the Danish Armed Forces, showcasing its capabilities and highlighting the growing interest in kinetic solutions to the small-drone problem.

The LIVET Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) under test in Denmark. DUALEE

At the heart of the LIVET is its eight-gun configuration. Each weapon is based on Benelli’s M4 Drone Guardian, a purpose-built semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun developed specifically for counter-drone applications. The weapon fires programmable airburst ammunition intended to improve the chances of defeating small aerial targets.

Benelli’s M4 Drone Guardian. Beretta Defense Technologies

The underlying concept is relatively straightforward. Small drones can be extremely difficult to hit with conventional rifle or machine gun fire, particularly when they are moving quickly or maneuvering unpredictably. A shotgun’s spreading projectile pattern increases the area covered by each shot. Programmable airburst ammunition adds another dimension, allowing the projectile payload to disperse at a selected distance from the target.

The use of shotguns against small drones, in general, is gaining considerable attention as militaries search for affordable, effective ways to counter the proliferation of these kinds of low-cost targets. While shotguns are traditionally associated with very close-range combat, the same characteristics that make them so capable of bird hunting make them an interesting option for engaging small, relatively slow-moving aerial targets.

A U.S. Marine Corps low-altitude air-defense (LAAD) gunner with 2nd LAAD Battalion, Marine Air Control Group 28, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, fires at a clay pigeon during a shotgun familiarization course at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. This was part of 2nd LAAD’s development of new tactics, techniques, and procedures to increase capabilities in C-UAS operations. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Henke

The LIVET takes this concept and scales it up considerably. Rather than relying on a single shotgun, it brings eight weapons together on a remotely operated platform. This arrangement offers a larger ammunition capacity and redundancy, while potentially allowing the system to address multiple incoming threats and having a much higher probability of kill against single ones.

The other major element is the turret’s tracking capability. Its AI-based system is designed to detect, recognize, and automatically track small aerial threats, handling the target-following and weapon-alignment process while an operator monitors the engagement. Up to five targets can be tracked simultaneously. The system can also be integrated with external radio-frequency and radar sensors, allowing it to receive target information and orient itself toward potential threats detected elsewhere.

Sensor integration is particularly important, since a counter-drone system is only as effective as its ability to detect and locate the threat in the first place. Combining external sensors with automated tracking should allow LIVET to function as part of a broader layered air-defense architecture rather than operating as an isolated weapon station.

Despite its automated tracking capabilities, the final engagement decision remains with the human operator.

The control console for the LIVET Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS). DUALEE

The LIVET builds on Benelli’s Drone Guardian concept, introduced in 2024, taking the shotgun-based counter-drone approach into a remotely operated, multi-weapon configuration. Its development also reflects the wider evolution of C-UAS technology since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, where relatively inexpensive drones have demonstrated their ability to threaten armored vehicles, artillery, logistics networks, and other high-value assets.

As we have repeatedly highlighted for years now, the proliferation of small drones creates not only a new kind of threat but a difficult economic equation for militaries. Using expensive missiles to defeat cheap uncrewed aircraft is often unsustainable, particularly when defending against repeated or large-scale attacks. Gun-based systems offer a potentially more economical kinetic alternative, although their effectiveness depends heavily on detection range, engagement geometry, ammunition performance, and the nature of the incoming threat.

As for shotgun-based counter-drone systems, their operational utility is constrained by their very short engagement distances. This is not a solution designed to take on larger UAVs, fixed-wing drones, or threats operating at medium altitude. Its intended targets are primarily micro- and mini-UAVs, particularly small quadcopters and FPV drones that approach within close range of the protected asset.

A quadcopter drone hovers in an indoor training area on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Theodore Gowdy

The French Army, which has ordered the baseline M4 Drone Guardian, has identified approximately 160 feet as the optimal effective engagement range for shotgun-based anti-drone applica

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