Airmen design AI-powered shotgun for last-ditch drone defense

U.S. Air Force personnel developed a prototype called Mantis as a low-cost, last-layer defense against small drones that penetrate electronic warfare or longer-range counter-UAS systems. The concept pairs artificial-intelligence-assisted detection or aiming with a shotgun, seeking to help an operator acquire fast, low-altitude targets more consistently at very short range. Mantis illustrates the service's layered approach of identifying incoming drones, attempting non-kinetic disruption and retaining an inexpensive close-range kinetic fallback, but no procurement decision, publicly verified engagement envelope or operational fielding plan has been announced.