The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) in Florida will stage America’s largest counter drone destruction event, making use of an arms embargo of more than 500 seized Chinese drones for live fire testing.
Simultaneously, the Pentagon is advancing autonomous communication systems through Project G.I. and global interception efforts. The US is working hard on edging its knives in the unmanned battlespace through aggressive experimentation and expanding tech partnerships.
Chinese drones seize quadcopters, once destined for disposal, will now serve as flying test dummies in a three-day SOCOM competition to assess live defenses, including arms as simple as shotguns.
The US is building stronger drone power not only by improving autonomous communication systems, but also by testing defenses against foreign drones showing how modern wars rely on unmanned technology.
Florida Seized Chinese Drones Parts
Chinese drones exports operations had more than 500 drones seized under Florida state restrictions and will now be handed to US Special Operations Command.
Nate Ecelbarger, a Marine reservist and founder of the United States National Drone Association (USNDA), called the upcoming event “the largest counter-drone destruction event ever held in the United States.”
Shotgun armed teams will attempt to shoot drones out of the sky as a last resort tactic, Ecelbarger says, and this could matter on tomorrow’s battlefield.
“If you have nothing else and you hear the buzz, I would want a shotgun,” he said, arguing drone defense should include low cost tools as well as advanced systems. SOCOM confirmed the drone parts seizure will be reprogrammed so they cannot “beacon back to China,” then deployed in multiple training events into 2026.
The Pentagon arms embargo has struggled to counter low-cost, lethal quadcopters that mirror those used in Ukraine, where over 4,000 drones are consumed daily. One Florida backed push includes tungsten-loaded shotgun ammunition designed to maintain spread and velocity midair.
“We’re killing drones by shooting them out of the sky,” said Kris Mancha of Genesis Arms, whose weapons are already in military use. A US Defense Innovation Unit USNDA official added that training ranges will simulate convoy attacks, room clearing, and long-range engagements made to bypass arms embargo pressure on the Pentagon for faster modernization.
US Intelligence Blocks Foreign Drone Shipments
Back in 2024, Italian authorities intercepted and seized a large shipment of Chinese manufactured drones and their components, en route to Libya. At the time, officials said the seizure provides evidence of a clandestine supply chain flouting a United Nations (UN) arms embargo violations.
For NATO, the Chinese drone components fuel the ongoing war on Europe’s southern flank.
The seized components included key parts for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and were destined for forces within Libya, where foreign powers – Turkey, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – have been accused of violating the UN arms embargo to militarily back rival factions.
The confiscated parts, linked to Wing Loong drone parts II UAV supply chains, were believed to be Chinese combat drones, already spread across Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, Nigeria, Serbia and more, exposing Beijing’s widening export influence.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is investing in smarter flight autonomy, not just defense. Israel’s Elsight was selected by the US Defense Innovation Unit as one of six companies advancing to the next stage of Project G.I., which seeks drones that perform reliably without GPS or stable communications.
Elsight’s Halo system offers multi-net connectivity for unmanned aircraft operating in jammed or hostile environments. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) said companies were chosen based on performance, technical maturity, and operational relevance.
From Florida arms trafficking drills to AI enabled navigation modules, the US arms embargo is preparing for warfare defined not by tanks, but by swarms, jammers, and unmanned hunters. America’s response is evolving on two fronts destroying hostile aircraft and developing smarter autonomous fleets.
Italian ports want Chinese drone seizure while US Marines test shot against quadcopters, the arms embargo message is obvious, the next wars will begin and end in the sky with no pilot in the cockpit.
Inside Telecom provides you with an extensive list of content covering all aspects of the Tech industry. Keep an eye on our News section to stay informed and updated with our daily articles.