Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), working with U.S. firearms manufacturer SIG SAUER, has completed a live-fire demonstration of the new FIRE STORM 250 — an unmanned aircraft equipped with an M250 machine gun.
Picture Showing SIG SAUER a New unmanned aircraft equipped with an M250 machine gun. Photo Credit – Autonomyglobal.co
The system is based on IAI’s APUS 60 VTOL tactical drone and carries SIG SAUER’s remotely controlled weapon station fitted with the M250, the machine gun selected by the U.S. Army to replace the M249 squad automatic weapon.
During the test, conducted in Israel ahead of its presentation at the AUSA 2026 exhibition in Washington, the drone hovered over a simulated battlefield, detected and identified targets and fired the weapon from different distances and altitudes.
The drone can carry up to 200 rounds and is designed for tactical units. Importantly, this is not an autonomous drone independently deciding whom to shoot: available reporting says an operator remains involved in authorizing the firing.
Picture Showing SIG SAUER a New unmanned aircraft equipped with an M250 machine gun. Photo Credit – Autonomyglobal.co
The weapon is mounted in a dedicated lightweight remote weapon station that is gyrostabilized to manage recoil and maintain accuracy when firing from the airborne platform. In its representative configuration, the system combines an Apus 60 airframe, the remote weapon station, the M250, and a typical load of approximately 200 rounds of 7.62×51 mm NATO ammunition.
It’s previously been reported that the system incorporates artificial intelligence to automate components of tracking and detection, the companies emphasized its human-in-the-loop fire control system, allowing human operators to make engagement and fire decisions while receiving imagery and tracking data from the Fire Storm 250’s onboard sensors.
The development is significant because it combines aerial surveillance, target identification and machine-gun firepower on one reusable unmanned platform, potentially giving small military units an airborne weapon capable of providing overwatch without putting a soldier directly behind the weapon.
“FIRE STORM 250 brings together the most advanced technologies in the world,” Sali Okanin, Israel General Manager for SIG SAUER, said in an announcement. “We’re proud of the new SIG SAUER M250, which is combat-proven technology. It is a belt-fed platform with greater range than legacy systems and weight savings that not only provide squad-level benefits but also make drone capabilities possible.”
Sig Sauer executives told Military Times earlier this month that fielding for the M250 is expected to begin in the first half of next year. While the Army’s version of the weapon is chambered in Sig Sauer’s internally developed 6.8X51mm ammo, the Israel Defense Forces began using a 7.62X51mm variant in 2025. The Fire Storm 250 reportedly can carry either.
The overall solution leverages advanced AI algorithms to compress the sensor-to-shooter timeline by automating key elements of detection, tracking and fire-control.
These algorithms enable autonomous threat detection, real-time situational awareness (including in degraded visual environments via a miniaturized SAR radar), and rapid neutralization, while the Apus 60 itself emphasizes highly autonomous flight operations. Intelligence analysis and mission synchronization are handled by the system’s AI, allowing a minimal human crew to supervise, authorize engagements, and manage the mission at a higher level rather than manually flying and aiming the platform.
