As hundreds of thousands of Catholics descend upon the Vatican to celebrate the life of Pope Francis, local military and police are armed with huge guns designed to eliminate potential threats from above like a drone or UAVs— unmanned aerial vehicles. They look like a weapon straight out of Halo.
People who were previously unaware of the unique anti-drone gun were equally as fascinated as frightened by their existence.
Pope Francis, the successor to Benedict XVI, passed away on April 21, 2025. His death marked the beginning of a week-long mourning at the Vatican. It concluded with an extremely well-attended funeral. The 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church was laid to rest on Saturday.
More than 250,000 people gathered in the streets of The Holy See near St. Peter’s Basilica. Among them were some of the world’s most important leaders, like United States President Donald Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and delegations from about 130 other countries.
Needless to say, security was at its most heightened.
The Swiss Guard, a military unit specifically tasked with protecting the Pope, partnered with the Italian Special Forces for one of the most complex operations in Vatican history. Its primary focus was on the ground but a rise of aerial attacks across the globe added a unique wrinkle to the plan.
Anti-drone guns are everywhere at the Vatican!
First and foremost, the Vatican airspace was completely locked down with a ban on all aircraft. A no-fly zone was patrolled by NATO Boeing E-3A airborne warning and control surveillance jets. The jets are equipped with radar domes on the fuselage and anti-drone devices designed to jam their systems.
Soldiers below also walked the streets with anti-drone weapoons. They look a lot like the assault rifles and/or plasma pistols used in the video game series ‘Halo.’ They look like they’re from the future.
Vatican now pic.twitter.com/Cxl1vs765w
— Elisabetta Piqué (@bettapique) April 25, 2025
These weapons are technically known as Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS). Anti-drone gun works too!
One of the two guns, a frequency jammer, weighs between 15 and 20 pounds. It features a white plastic plate at the front. The other gun looks more like a bazooka, because it is, with three barrels on the front.
Soldiers have practices with the C-UAS weapons for years. Pope Francis’ funeral was the first time they were deployed to the Vatican.
As far as I am aware, neither the Swiss Guards nor Italian military needed to use the anti-drone guns this weekend. Thank goodness! However, I would be curious to see them in action. They are intense!