Countering Drones – Part 2, by TacOps

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

Current Anti-Drone Applications

As drones have continued to threaten civilian and government spaces, different groups have taken various approaches to down drones in their airspace. Both Ukraine and Russia have adopted a ballistic solution. Using cheap, Turkish-made shotguns has allowed them to supply mass Infantry units with counter-drone capabilities. They have found that #4 buckshot from a 12-gauge shotgun has had the most effectiveness against small drones – the ones dismounted Soldiers are most likely to encounter. However, 12-gauge shotguns have a maximum effective range of only fifty meters.

Shotguns have benefits and drawbacks. On the one hand, this is a relatively cheap and sustainable way to down small drones. Soldiers are easily trained – in mass – to shoot down moving targets. Finally, shotguns are extremely versatile weapons. Equipping Soldiers with buckshot and breaching slugs allows them to down drones, quickly clear trenches, and breach doors with high rates of success.

On the other hand, shotguns can be notoriously difficult to predict. A well-trained shotgunner knows how far his or her shotshell will spread at various distances, as well as penetration of various materials at each distance. Cheap ammunition, especially in a shotgun that does not contain a choke, will spread much more and be more unpredictable than quality ammunition out of a quality shotgun. During the First World War, ground troops were trained to shoot at aerial targets as the use of military aircraft increased. This sometimes resulted in bullets impacting friendly ground troops within the line of fire. As the risks of friendly fire casualties are unacceptably high in an urban environment, many militaries have opted not to use shotguns.

The Ukrainian and Russian militaries are severely impacted by drones, so their commanders have decided that it is worth the risk to employ shotguns. The Russian military has even employed ground-based anti-aircraft shotgun stations. With this piece of equipment, multiple shotgun barrels are fused together, similar to an anti-aircraft gun, and used to down larger drones that circulate overhead. This is consistent with Russian military tradition, in which the ability to hurt its enemy takes priority over the risk to its own Soldiers.

The U.S. Military uses electronic means to down drones. Stationary equipment, such as the DroneDefender can disable drones from two kilometers away – in every direction. For mobile assets, such as mounted patrols, the Dronebuster and Droneshoot 800 allow Soldiers to electronically engage drones from over a kilometer away. This is a significant capability that the U.S. Military has that most other militaries do not have. While this negates the risk of friendly fire to ground troops, this is an extremely expensive solution. Dronebusters start at $30,000; therefore, few units have an “off-the-shelf” budget to obtain them. This leaves the majority of platoons and companies defenseless against drones, while the Battalion and Brigade CPs might be protected – if they planned ahead.

Israel’s Iron Dome is a mix of the two. It integrates both kinetic solutions (anti-aircraft guns and ground-to-air missiles) with electronic solutions (radar detection, microwave beams, jamming, and spoofing signals to create false targets). This has resulted in a dramatically successful defense against multiple drone attacks, most recently against Iran’s drone barrage in 2024. However, some of these missiles and anti-aircraft munitions impact past the drone targets and kill civilians.

American prisons have opted to use shotguns with net rounds. The nets spread out upon exit from the 12-gauge barrel, ultimately wrapping around a drone that is trying to drop contraband into a jail or prison. This is another cheap solution, but the nets have limited effectiveness. They do not spread all the way, and wind has a large impact on the net as it flies towards the target. The best way to employ these net rounds is to shoot directly up, into the air. They have a maximum effective range of only thirty meters – limiting them to only close encounters with contraband-smuggling drones.

Finally, some European nations have taken to using birds of prey to secure sensitive areas, such as sports stadiums. Though the use of counter-drone hawks is limited due to large amounts of time and money to train these birds of prey, it is especially useful to secure areas that are full of civilians. This also has the benefit of entertaining the crowd whilst securing the airspace of a protected area.

TEOTWAWKI Preparations

Preppers would face two main threats from drones in the event of a severe disaster: reconnaissance and aerial attacks. Criminals already use drones to reconnoiter targets of possible crimes; they absolutely can use them to scope out you and your family. Such reconnaissance would be to identify you, determine which resources you have available for the taking, and assess how much of a threat you are. This can also be used to determine your routine – and, therefore, the best time and method of attack. Reconnaissance can also be conducted by paranoid groups, which may expect you to attack them. It is, therefore, paramount to avoid detection in order to avoid dangerous confrontations.

The first way to avoid drone reconnaissance is to use camouflage. The same underlying foundation of camouflaging yourself against ground assets also applies against air assets: the more closely you resemble your background, the harder it is for a reconnaissance asset to identify you.

The vast majority of people who have drones only have a daytime camera. Therefore, there is little risk while moving at night. Daytime movements are inherently more risky. The focus for these cameras is camouflaging large targets, such as structures and vehicles. While it is difficult to hide a whole building, you can make it appear like an undesirable target. This can be accomplished by either making the building seem like an impenetrable fortress, or like a dilapidated structure that is not worth attacking. Since most threats will be from small bands of individuals, I recommend focusing on hardening your buildings and making them appear inaccessible to all but the strongest invading forces. This can be coupled with hiding resources within the buildings or underground, as well as shading windows to mask movement within the buildings.

When moving, the night is your friend. Any attackers are very unlikely to use drones for reconnaissance during low-visibility hours because they are significantly more likely to crash. In addition, the ability to glean some sort of information is severely limited. The risk is too high, and the reward is too low.

If you have to move during the daytime, then there are several things you can do to mask your movements from drone reconnaissance. To prevent identification, you must first stay in an area where it is hard to identify you. For this reason, open areas are dangerous. Highly trafficked areas such as roads and natural lines of drift are dangerous. If you have to move, then stay in the woodline. Once you have identified a drone flying around you, find some concealment and stop moving. This is especially true while in a vehicle. Movement draws attention, especially when it is a large object, such as a vehicle. In addition, moving vehicles also emit a larger heat signature and can throw dust in the air.

Camouflage will allow you to stay hidden for longer periods. Vehicles can be outfitted with camouflage nets, which will be supplemented with debris from the actual environment you are moving in. When they are parked, use an opaque covering constructed with similar colors and textures to that environment. For example, a tarp painted forest green with brush glued on in uneven patterns will effectively conceal a vehicle from all but the most attentive drone operators.

While it is unlikely that attackers will have anything more expensive than a standard daytime camera, thermal cameras, and electromagnetic sensors are slowly becoming more accessible. If you are in an area where these are commonly present in drones, then you will have to mask thermal and electronic signals. This includes heat patterns found in human beings, animals, and vehicles. Therefore, blankets and other coverings that insulate well can mask your thermal signature. The most effective concealment from thermal cameras are natural materials and terrain. Staying low to the ground allows you to remain hidden for extended periods of time. In addition, using materials that are sourced from that environment – such as dirt piles, masses of leaves, and tree bark – can mask heat signatures.

Electronic signals are mainly from cell signals, GPS devices (including smart watches), and wi-fi. While they are extremely useful for connection to the outside world and communication with others, they have the potential to expose your location and plans. Practice communicating without the aid of these devices. Every sound communication plan has a primary, alternate, contingency, and emergency means of communication (PACE plan). This PACE plan should include hand and arm signals, visual displays such as waving cloth/flags, and sound (calling out to someone, or whistles). When moving into a higher risk area of being discovered, or upon visual confirmation of a drone in the area, using other components of your PACE plan can allow you to stay hidden.

In the case of a potential drone attack, prior planning is your best friend. It will amplify all your efforts to defend against the attack and to down the offending drones. Since most people do not have access to electronic means, such as the Dronbuster, I will focus on the shotgun, as it is the least expensive and most accessible and widespread anti-drone weapon on the market today. The Ukraine-Russia War has shown us that 12-gauge shotguns loaded with #4 buckshot and an appropriate choke can be highly effective against FPV drones. However, a single shotgun against multiple FPV drones in a populated area can be a high risk to those surrounding you; this is where risk mitigation measures come into play.

One risk mitigation measure that is appropriate to the situation is a surface danger zone (SDZ). A SDZ refers to the area surrounding the target (vertically and horizontally) that is at risk from either the round itself, ricochet, or fragmentation. Conveniently, the SDZ for all 12-gauge buckshot is the same SDZ as all other small-arms direct fire weapons (without explosive rounds). This conical SDZ shows that it has the potential to disperse up to five degrees on either side of the muzzle, ricochet another five degrees on either side, and another two degrees for fragmentation. Therefore, for risk mitigation purposes, in a densely populated area, you should aim your muzzle no less than twelve degrees away from a friendly or neutral position when aiming toward a drone.

Realistically, how can you do this? When you have time to prepare a static position (for example, on top of a structure), you can set posts or draw lines of chalk on the structure that allow you to know where you can and cannot aim your weapon. When moving to a hasty position before firing at a drone, you have to use your best estimate. Prior estimation will greatly assist in your efforts. For example, a standard building story height is ten feet (3.048 meters). Without a choke, this height is possible (at a twenty-four degree SDZ angle) at 14.75 meter distance from the target). This includes dispersion from the shotshell, ricochet, and potential fragmentation. Therefore, if you are aiming at a drone at a third-story window, you cannot aim at it from a distance of greater than 15 meters without endangering someone at the second story window. Adding a full-length choke will greatly decrease the risk by lowering the angles surrounding the target for risk mitigation. You can determine the angles with repeated practice at various distances.

In addition, you have to know what is behind your target. While #4 buckshot distances vary by the manufacturer, be aware that the greatest potential distance (shot at 45 degrees) will be much longer than the 50-meter maximum effective range. This can be mitigated by solid structures, such as concrete walls. The reality is that you rarely have to shoot immediately when you identify a target. If you do not have a clear shot, then move to an area in which you have a tactical advantage. This is the same for ground targets as well as aerial targets.

When in a known area, you should make a sector sketch that will allow you to base these decisions based on terrain at known distances. For example, a unique and identifiable rock or vehicle strategically placed at a certain distance makes it much easier to know when to engage and when not to engage a drone. In this way, you have built a defense plan that simultaneously maximizes your effectiveness against drones and minimizes the risk against other people who may just be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The next part of your drone defense plan is a prioritized protection list (PPL). A PPL will allow you to maximize the effects of your various weapon systems by prioritizing your direct fires against the targets that are threatening your most important assets. For example, you may want to keep a certain path open in case someone needs to escape, or to keep attackers away from a store of food. These would be Priority A assets – the highest category of importance. These must be prioritized above all else. Priority B assets would be of moderate importance. Priority C assets would be of low importance. Therefore, emplace drone defenses near Priority A assets first to best protect them.

These can include active defenses (such as shotgun emplacement) and passive defenses. Passive defenses can include omni-directional drone jammers and wire cages. Since wire cages are more accessible, I will describe how to set them up in this article. These wire cages can be crafted with cheap chicken wire and serve to deny drones access to certain high-priority assets by targeting their propellers. They have been quite effective around buildings in both Ukraine and Armenia.

Chicken wire surrounding vehicles and linked high around fences have denied propeller-driven drones the ability to target vehicles driving in these areas. This has been surprisingly effective, dramatically decreasing the amount of kamikaze-style drone attacks in these areas. Installing chicken wire in the same way around Priority A assets can serve as passive drone defenses.

The final aspect of a drone defense plan is actions after contact. A two-direction plan (such as a black-and-gold plan) is the best way to plan for actions after contact with a drone. Calling out a certain pre-designated signal (“Black!”) spurs actions from everyone in the group. Each individual quickly gathers his or her items and runs to the pre-designated location or distance. If that area is inaccessible due to enemy movement or terrain, then the other signal may be called (“Gold!”). The worst thing you can do is to remain static after a drone attack on an unfortified position. In the world of drone attacks, regular movement is how you stay alive and able to accomplish your next objective.

Drones are changing the face of modern battle. At their best, people can use drones to provide useful information and to complete dangerous tasks; at their worst, people may use them to illegally reconnoiter or to attack others. Preparing for nefarious drone encounters enables us to have extra layers of security, experience peace and comfort in our own homes, and readiness for severe disasters.