U.S. firm builds a 360-degree rotating turret to kill drone swarms
AI Analysis
Picket Defense Systems is developing the Inferno RTC, a counter-UAS turret utilizing a continuously rotating multi-barrel system to eliminate aiming latency. The system offers a 40-meter assured kill zone against drones and swarms, addressing a critical vulnerability in conventional C-UAS systems. It will be showcased at SOF Week 2026.
Key Takeaways
- The Inferno RTC employs a patented rotating turret design with multiple fixed-angle barrels.
- The system boasts 'zero aiming latency' by continuously sweeping a 360-degree hemisphere.
- Two configurations are available: a 45lb variant with 36 barrels and a 90lb variant with 54 barrels.
- The system detects threats passively at 90-120 meters and engages within a 40-meter kill zone.
- The Inferno RTC is designed to counter drone swarms, a tactic exploiting the delays of conventional C-UAS systems.
Why It Matters
The Inferno RTC represents a potential breakthrough in close-in drone defense, specifically addressing the vulnerability to fast-moving drones and swarms. Its ability to eliminate aiming latency could significantly enhance force protection and operational effectiveness in contested environments. This technology could be particularly valuable for protecting critical infrastructure and forward operating bases.
U.S. firm builds a 360-degree rotating turret to kill drone swarms
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U.S. firm builds a 360-degree rotating turret to kill drone swarms
May 17, 2026
Modified date: May 17, 2026
Rendering of Inferno RTC
Key Points
- Picket Defense Systems will display the Inferno RTC counter-drone turret at SOF Week 2026 in Tampa, May 18-21, featuring a continuously rotating hemispherical barrel array.
- The system weighs 45 to 90 pounds, detects threats passively at 90 to 120 meters, and engages targets within a 40-meter kill zone with zero aiming latency, per the company.
A U.S. defense startup is bringing a next-generation counter-drone system to SOF Week 2026 in Tampa that takes a fundamentally different approach to the close-in drone threat: instead of aiming at incoming targets, it keeps multiple barrels constantly rotating through a full hemisphere, eliminating the aiming delay that makes conventional single-barrel systems vulnerable to fast-moving drones and swarms.
Picket Defense Systems announced it will display the Inferno RTC, its newest counter-drone platform, at SOF Week, running May 18-21 at the Tampa Convention Center.
The system is built around a patented rotating turret design that mounts multiple munition barrels at fixed elevation angles on a spherical frame, sweeping a complete 360-degree hemisphere continuously as the turret rotates. When onboard sensors detect and classify a threat, the system selects the optimal barrel and fires without any slew-to-target delay, per the company’s product documentation. Picket describes the result as a 40-meter assured-kill zone in every direction with zero aiming latency.
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The aiming latency problem the Inferno is designed to solve is one of the most technically challenging aspects of close-in drone defense, and it has become increasingly urgent as adversaries have adopted tactics specifically designed to exploit it. Conventional counter-drone gun systems, whether mounted on vehicles or fixed at a site, must physically slew a barrel to point at an incoming threat before firing, a process that takes measurable time even on fast-actuating electromechanical systems. Against a single drone approaching at moderate speed, that delay is manageable. Against a coordinated swarm of fast-moving targets approaching from multiple directions simultaneously, it creates engagement sequencing problems that single-barrel systems have no mechanical solution for. The Inferno’s continuously rotating architecture eliminates that sequencing problem by having a barrel already in approximately the right position for any threat vector at any moment.
The system comes in two configurations according to Picket’s specifications. The small variant weighs 45 pounds, measures 18 inches in diameter, carries 36 barrels, and fires 5.56mm, .410, or 20-gauge munitions. The large variant weighs 90 pounds, measures 24 by 30 inches, carries 54 barrels, and scales u