Tapping Benelli’s recently introduced Advanced Impact (A.I.) technology, the sporting and defensive arms manufacturer has developed the first small arm intended to counter the 21st century’s emerging threat. Enter the M4 A.I. Drone Defender…
by Rob Reaser
A short time ago, we ran an article by Shoot ON contributor Brad Fitzpatrick detailing the broad assortment of defensive shotguns produced by Benelli for the military/law enforcement and civilian markets featuring prices ranging from the “Everyman budget” to the “you gotta really want one” end of the cost spectrum. Well, unbeknownst to us, Benelli has another defensive shotgun in its lineup that we totally missed.
Lest we be charged with “journalistic negligence,” our reason for not including this particular shotgun in our roundup is totally legit, as our primary focus here at Shoot ON centers on personal and professional defense firearm platforms sold in the U.S. for the consumer segment. Here in America, Benelli USA is that portal. The Benelli mothership, though, headquartered in Urbino, Italy, is the focal point of the company’s global defense efforts. Benelli Armi S.p.A presents a slew of specialty shotguns developed for and marketed to professional defense communities worldwide under the Benelli Defense umbrella.
In August of 2024, Benelli Armi announced a new shotgun for the global defense segment that addresses the “latest thing” in armed conflict — Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or drone, warfare.
Rise of the Drones
The conflict between Ukraine and Russia over the last couple of years has been something of a shock to those of us who grew up during the 1980s under the uncertain cloud of the Cold War between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. As we have watched events unfold since Russia initiated ground incursions into eastern Ukraine, many of us who remember the old “Soviet threat” have been more than a little stunned that this once-assumed mighty fighting force could be so effectively stymied by the Ukrainian military.
Although many factors play into the success or failure of armed conflict, one of the most striking aspects of the Russia-Ukraine war has been the use of small UAVs as weapons, first by the Ukrainians to destroy armored tanks, personnel carriers, entrenched troops, and more, and then by the Russians to counter the Ukrainians. Hobby-grade drones, craftily modified to carry ordnance and to surveil enemy forces, have proven highly effective in the house-to-house and trench warfare that has characterized much of this fight.
This significant development in urban and guerrilla combat has definitely changed the game. Of course, UAVs have been deployed for ordnance delivery and surveillance for many years by military, law enforcement, and emergency operations, but the effectiveness of Ukrainian defense forces in utilizing smaller “hobby” UAVs takes it to a new level and, naturally, raises serious concerns for military units and law enforcement agencies around the world. In the hands of bad actors or enemy forces, even commercial-grade UAVs can present a serious threat to defense professionals and civilian populations alike.
Further alarm of this potential elevated the domestic threat of attack drones a few days ago when the New York Post reported on an internal memo titled, “Officer Safety Alert” that stated: “On February 1, 2025, the El Paso Sector Intelligence and Operations Center (EPT-IOC) received information advising that Mexican cartel leaders have authorized the deployment of drones equipped with explosives to be used against US Border Patrol agents and US military personal currently working along the border with Mexico.”
While this Pandora’s Box is now wide open, the new thrust is to develop strategies to mitigate hostile UAV activity — in short, counter-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) technology. These can involve various strategies, from “hacking” into and taking over a threatening UAV to electronic neutralization to physical destruction of the drone.
The latter countermeasure is where Benelli has stepped in with the company’s new M4 A.I. Drone Guardian shotgun line that Benelli Armi announced in August.
Meet The Benelli M4 A.I. Drone Guardian
As the name implies, the M4 A.I. Drone Guardian is one of the many variants of the Benelli M4 semi-auto shotgun prized by military and law enforcement units worldwide for its rugged construction and reliable operation in the most austere conditions. More specifically, this is a variant of the M4 A1 shotgun with some minor differences in the grip, forend, and sling attachment points.
The big separator between the M4 A.I. Drone Guardian and the M4 A1, though, is the barrel.
Last year, Benelli introduced its new Advanced Impact (A.I.) technology in the company’s Performance Shop ETHOS sporting shotguns (ETHOS Sport A.I., ETHOS Supersport A.I., and the ETHOS Cordoba A.I., BE.S.T.). A couple weeks ago at the SHOT Show, we were introduced to even more shotguns across the Benelli portfolio that will also sport A.I. technology for 2025. A.I. barrels present careful engineering of the barrel bore to boost terminal performance via new ballistic contours. As Benelli describes it, the A.I. contour enhances shot column velocity, which translates to more downrange impact energy than conventional smooth-bore barrel designs.
Per a Benelli press release on its A.I. technology, “…exhaustive ballistic testing has shown a 4% increase in velocity and 6% increase in energy at one meter past the muzzle compared to a standard shotgun barrel. The terminal result is up to 50% penetration increase over payloads delivered by standard shotgun barrels.”
Tight shot columns with enhanced energy transfer are key goals for most shotgun handlers, and that is certainly the case for defensive applications — even more so when heavy flying objects are the target. So, it makes sense that in this new age of drone warfare, Benelli would tap its Advanced Impact barrel technology to create the world’s first dedicated drone-killing shotgun.
But lest anyone get too carried away with the notion of offensive drone engagement with a shotgun (this isn’t a goose hunt!), the M4 A.I. Drone Guardian has a very narrow purpose. Benelli notes as much in its announcement:
“On the battlefield for the first time, we see the massive use of small FPV drones (First Person View, quadcopter piloted with individual visors and remote controllers) attacking enemy troops on the ground, either directly or by firing anti-personnel grenades from above on the squads of soldiers below, causing many casualties.
“This new scenario paves the way for the first time for the use of the 12-gauge shotgun in combination with 4/0 buckshot type ammunition, which creates a large enough swarm at distances of 50m or more to easily shoot down the drone in close flight.
“This is a ‘last resort’ defense that effectively saves the soldier’s life and is not feasible with pistols or assault rifles.”
In other words, the M4 A.I. Drone Guardian does not provide a license for soldiers to go drone hunting. It is, instead, intended to give them their last chance against surveillance detection or lethal engagement from FPV drones. If you have watched any FPV drone videos of the urban and trench fighting in eastern Ukraine, you have seen countless Russian soldiers who would have given anything for a hard-hitting shotgun as they stared up at an incoming drone in the final seconds of their lives.
While incorporating Benelli’s A.I. barrel technology for better downrange terminal performance with small drones specifically in mind, the M4 A.I. Drone Guardian can certainly serve as a general-purpose defensive shotgun. Defense professionals who would favor a shotgun with both CQB and counter-drone capabilities can opt for the 18.5-inch barrel version while those teams establishing a designated drone shooter may opt for the longer 26-inch barrel version.
The M4 A.I. Drone Guardian comes with a multi-rail handguard that incorporates an ACRO red dot mount system topped with Steiner’s Micro Pistol Sight (MPS). This red dot makes sense since Steiner, along with Benelli, are Beretta holdings.
Keep in mind that the M4 A.I. Drone Guardian is a platform designated specifically for use by military and authorized law enforcement personnel. In the U.S., IT IS ILLEGAL AND AGAINST FEDERAL LAW TO SHOOT AT ANY AIRCRAFT IN U.S. JURISDICTION. “Jurisdiction” here covers any aircraft — of which drones are counted — flying over U.S. territory. The purpose of this discussion is simply to report on the potentially emerging threat to our border security professionals and show how the new Benelli Advanced Impact technology, which is now part of the company’s hunting and sporting shotgun lines, has paved the way for a new defensive arms platform.
In short, we find the Benelli M4 A.I. Drone Guardian to be an interesting, purpose-driven product intended to address the needs of the ever-changing warfighting and, potentially, homeland defense landscape.
Given that the Mexican cartels causing so much chaos and misery along our southern border have now been granted, assumedly, a green light to attack our LE and defense personnel on our own soil with drone technology, we can only speculate that Benelli M4 A.I. Drone Guardians may be appearing along the Rio Grande sometime soon.
