Forterra's AutoDrive lets the F-250 clear obstacles without a driver in the blast lane.
The Edda turret uses acoustic and visual tracking to knock down small drones.
Project Sandhills 2.0 tests whether this combined breacher and counter-drone truck is ready for real missions.
The US Army just ran live-fire tests of a computer-controlled shotgun turret on a driver-optional Ford F-250, knocking down drones while a human gunner worked from off the truck. The Project Sandhills 2.0 exercise took place August 18, 2026, at Range 63 on Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg.
The prototype ties Forterra’s AutoDrive breaching package into an F-250 chassis and mounts a 9 Mothers Edda counter-drone turret in the bed, creating a truck that can clear lanes and defend itself from small drones at close range. Defense outlets including NextGenDefense report the Army is using Sandhills 2.0 to judge whether this mix is ready to leave the demo phase.
