Small FPV drones have become one of the biggest threats to infantry on the modern battlefield. To help counter them, the U.S. Marine Corps is fielding a new 5.56 round designed specifically to shoot down small unmanned aerial systems.
In this video, we look at how the new Drone Round 5.56 L Variant works, why the Marines chose it, how it compares to shotguns, and what questions remain about how these rounds will actually be used in Marine squads and platoons.
00:00 – What is the drone round?
02:08 – What about shotguns?
03:18 – How will Marines use the Drone Round?
05:35 – Doctrine and TTPs
07:07 – Drone Round’s place in the defense layers
Drone Round story: https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marines-drone-round/
New Marine drone units: https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-drone-organizations-2026/
SMASH 2000 story: https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marines-drone-optic-2026/
Recorded on: August 3, 2026
Written/Edited by: Kyle Gunn
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