U.S. Military to Use Confiscated Chinese Drones for Target Practice.https://thenationalpulse.com/2025/11/25/u-s-military-to-use-confiscated-chinese-drones-for-target-practice/The State of Florida has found a use for the estimated 500 Chinese drones it has confiscated. Next month, the drones will be used by the United States Military for target practice during a three-day training exercise the Pentagon calls the “Military Drone Crucible.” Scheduled to begin on December 4, the United States National Drone Association (USNDA) is billing the event as “the largest counter-drone destruction event ever held in the United States.”
Rather than simply destroying the Chinese drones, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM)—which is headquartered in Tampa, Florida—will use them to train American soldiers on the use of shotguns and other weapons in anti-drone combat. Small, inexpensive drones have seen significant battlefield use in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, leaving many of the world’s most powerful militaries scrambling to adapt.
Counter-drone tactics are also becoming critical to American border security. In March, Border Patrol chief Mike Banks issued a stark warning to Mexican drug cartels over the use of drones in their drug smuggling operations. “We have seen cartel-on-cartel violence that involves drones. We prepare and train to be ready to fight the enemy on any ground,” he said, adding: We’re impacting the cartels’ ability to make billions of dollars.”
Developing and training in anti-drone tactics is a very worthwhile use of these confiscated drones. While the value of the targets saved from being droned more than balances the cost of an anti-air missile, 20 mm, .50 BMG, 5.56 NATO, and shotgun projectiles cost far less and are far more plentiful.
