The U.S. Army has tested an autonomous Ford F-250 truck equipped with a computer-controlled shotgun turret designed to destroy enemy drones, officials announced after a live-fire exercise at Fort Bragg on August 18 as part of the Project Sandhills 2.0 initiative.
The vehicle, built on the Forterra AutoDrive self-driving system, is intended to support breaching operations—where soldiers advance through obstacles—by not only navigating independently but also defending against fast-moving drone attacks. The turret, built by Austin-based 9 Mothers and called the Edda counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS), targets drones of seven inches in diameter or larger at ranges between 10 and 100 meters (33 to 328 feet).
Testing took place during a live-fire demonstration at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. According to Forterra's vice president of defense, the choice of the Ford F-250 platform was deliberate: its widespread commercial use means spare parts are readily available, making the system easier to maintain and repair in the field than more specialized military vehicles.
Sandhills 2.0 builds on the original Sandhills project, which previously produced the Lancer Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) based on the Polaris Ranger 1500. That earlier system was gifted to Ukraine for use in ongoing conflict operations. The new iteration adds counter-drone capabilities, reflecting the increasing threat posed by first-person-view (FPV) drones, which can disrupt breaching missions at low cost.
The Edda turret's detection methodology is notable: it first identifies incoming drones using acoustic sensors before a visual tracking system locks on. This two-step approach, according to the source report, reduces the risk of the system being detected by advanced enemy drone sensors. Once locked, the shotgun-armed turret engages the target. The turret weighs approximately 23 kilograms (50 pounds).
Neither the Department of Defense nor Forterra has disclosed a timeline for deployment, but the successful test marks a significant step in integrating autonomous ground vehicles into frontline operations.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Combat evolution: The test signals a new phase in military automation, where ground vehicles not only navigate autonomously but also defend themselves, reducing risk to human soldiers.
- Drone threat response: Cheap, widely available FPV drones are reshaping battlefields (e.g., Ukraine). The Army is investing in countermeasures—this vehicle is one practical response.
- Commercial-military crossover: Using a Ford F-250 with off-the-shelf spares suggests future military vehicles may rely more on commercial supply chains, potentially lowering costs and logistics burdens.
Background
Autonomous military vehicles are not new—the U.S. Army has experimented with self-driving trucks and unmanned ground vehicles for over a decade. Project Sandhills began as an effort to develop breaching UGVs that could clear paths through obstacles like minefields. The first iteration yielded the Lancer UGV (based on a Polaris Ranger), which was later sent to Ukraine.
However, the war in Ukraine has highlighted a growing vulnerability: simple, cheap FPV drones can disable or destroy armored vehicles at low cost. Traditional breaching operations—where soldiers move into contested terrain—are particularly exposed. Sandhills 2.0 was developed specifically to address this gap, adding a lightweight, acoustic-detecting C-UAS turret to an already autonomous chassis.
The August 18 test at Fort Bragg is the first known live-fire demonstration of such a combined system by the U.S. Army.
Key Perspectives
The U.S. Army: The service views autonomous breaching vehicles as force multipliers that can clear routes and absorb first contact, preserving soldier lives. Adding C-UAS capabilities is a direct response to real combat lessons from Ukraine.
9 Mothers (turret manufacturer): The company argues that acoustic detection offers an operational advantage—passive detection keeps the system less detectable than radar-based alternatives, which can be jammed or targeted. The 23kg turret is light enough to mount on medium-duty trucks without compromising mobility.
Critics and skeptics: Autonomous weapons systems raise ethical and operational concerns. Malfunctions could cause fratricide; over-reliance on automation may reduce human oversight in high-stakes decisions. Also, acoustic detection can be confused by ambient noise or decoys, and a shotgun-based C-UAS has limited range (100m max), leaving the vehicle vulnerable to longer-range drone strikes.
What to Watch
- Operational deployment announcements: Look for Army statements about field testing in theater—Ukraine is a likely candidate for future trials.
- Turret performance data: How the Edda system fares in electronic warfare environments (jamming, spoofing) will be critical to wider adoption.
- Competing systems: Other vendors (e.g., Northrop Grumman with its 50mm chain gun) are developing C-UAS solutions—watch for Army procurement decisions that could shape the market.
- Cost analysis: Whether commercial platforms like the F-250 actually reduce life-cycle costs compared to purpose-built military vehicles will be an important metric for budget-conscious Pentagon planners.