CSG Defence Systems' ammunition brand Fiocchi has developed a new line of counter-drone (C-sUAS) ammunition designed to give ground troops an immediate, low-cost solution for engaging small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) using the rifles and firearms they already carry.
Bringing Counter-Drone Capability to the Individual Soldier
The challenge of defeating small drones on the battlefield has traditionally required specialized equipment — electronic jammers, directed energy weapons, or dedicated interceptor systems that are expensive, heavy, and not always available at the squad level. Fiocchi's new ammunition aims to change that equation by enabling soldiers to engage sUAS threats using standard-issue firearms, without any additional hardware or training on exotic systems.
This approach is significant. As small commercial and military-grade drones have become increasingly prevalent on modern battlefields — used for reconnaissance, target acquisition, and direct attack — the need for every soldier to have some form of counter-drone capability has grown urgent. A purpose-designed cartridge that works in existing weapons addresses that gap directly.
Why Specialized Ammunition Matters for Counter-Drone Missions
Shooting down a small drone with conventional ammunition is harder than it sounds. Standard ball ammunition is optimized for defeating human-sized targets at relatively short ranges. Small UAS platforms present a very different challenge:
- They are fast-moving and often unpredictable in flight path
- Their critical components — flight controllers, motors, battery packs — are small and spread across the airframe
- A single clean hit may not be enough to bring a drone down immediately
Counter-drone specific ammunition can be engineered to increase the probability of a mission-kill on a small UAS with fewer rounds — whether through optimized fragmentation patterns, increased effective spread, or other design characteristics tailored to the threat profile of sUAS platforms.
Part of a Growing C-sUAS Industry
Fiocchi's entry into the counter-drone ammunition space reflects a broader trend in the defense industry. As drone threats have escalated — particularly in conflict zones where cheap commercial quadcopters have been adapted for military use — defense contractors and ammunition manufacturers are racing to provide solutions at every tier of the counter-UAS stack.
Kinetic defeat options like specialized ammunition complement electronic warfare tools such as RF jammers and GPS spoofers, giving commanders more flexibility in how they respond to drone threats depending on the operational environment.
Implications for Ground Forces
If adopted by military forces, Fiocchi's C-sUAS ammunition could represent a meaningful shift in how infantry units deal with drone threats at close range. Distributing counter-drone capability down to the individual rifleman level — without requiring additional equipment procurement or specialized training — is an attractive proposition for defense planners working within constrained budgets and logistics pipelines.
Details on specific cartridge calibers, technical specifications, and which armed forces Fiocchi is targeting with the product have not yet been fully disclosed. ReaperDrones.com will continue to follow developments as more information becomes available.