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Back in April, Road & Track reported that the U.S. Department of Defense had approached Detroit’s carmakers to gauge their willingness to build weapons for the Pentagon. But that may not be the only route by which machinery from the Big Three could end up in a combat role, as recent sightings from a U.S. Army live-fire exercise indicate the DoD now has an F-250 Super Duty fitted with an advanced self-driving system and a specialised weapons setup designed to tackle the rising threat posed by drone warfare.

Last month, Ford won a contract from the DoD linked specifically to the development of three separate Super Duty-based prototypes, which are said to be under evaluation for a possible role as the next U.S. Army Heavy Infantry Squad Vehicle. Rival General Motors is also expected to continue with its own contract through GM Defense for its smaller Infantry Squad Vehicle, which is based on the Chevy Colorado platform. The prototype truck being discussed here, however, is not connected to that programme.

“This particular project involves a military contractor buying Ford trucks and upfitting for their needs,” Richard Binhammer, corporate and public policy communications spokesperson for Ford, told Road & Track. “Ford is not directly involved with the Army or the contractor on this project.”

Even so, the vehicle in question, spotted during testing at Fort Bragg in North Carolina by Next Gen Defense and later highlighted more widely by Ford Authority, is no less interesting simply because it is not part of an official FoMoCo arrangement. The prototype is covered in a variety of sensors that appear to form part of the truck’s Forterra AutoDrive autonomous system, which not only enables some self-driving capability but is also intended to help clear lanes for troops in contested areas or minefields.

That alone is already serious hardware, but the standout element of this package sits on the roof of the truck: an Edda weapon station fitted with a shotgun turret. Designed for drone defence, this system reportedly detects and engages threats as small as seven inches across at distances of up to 100 meters. The entire process is handled automatically, which is clearly a big step beyond the ADAS hardware you would find on a normal F-250. Whether that amount of firepower is unusual for the average Super Duty on American roads, however, remains another matter.

Drones have become a deeply concerning element of modern warfare; as the world has seen on the front lines in Ukraine, effective countermeasures against such attacks are likely to play a major role in future conflicts across the globe. Whether or not the Super Duty is ultimately chosen for the Army Heavy Infantry Squad Vehicle role, this particular unit certainly appears to point towards a compelling idea.