Federal Ammunition, Mossberg and Palladyne AI will jointly develop SwarmShot, a shotgun system carried by small drones to intercept other unmanned aircraft. Work starts with a modular add-on for Palladyne’s Gremlin-X Group 1 quadcopter, followed by kits for other compatible drones.

The package pairs Federal counter-drone shotshells with a Mossberg lightweight airborne gun unit and Palladyne software that lets several aircraft operate together. Palladyne’s chief executive said a single equipped drone can serve as a reusable interceptor while several can act as a group. Mossberg’s president said the company will design a new module around airborne recoil, remote firing, reliability and safety instead of attaching a standard shotgun.