Flying machine gun: IAI and Sig Sauer test Fire Storm 250

Israel Aerospace Industries and SIG SAUER have completed a live-fire test of FIRE STORM 250, a vertical-takeoff drone armed with SIG SAUER’s M250 machine gun, in which the aircraft hovered over a simulated battlefield, picked out targets with its onboard camera and hit them in single-shot and semi-automatic modes.

The companies announced the result on Oct. 13 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting in Washington, where the drone made its debut a year ago. During the trial it fired from several distances and altitudes, and IAI says the shots confirmed the system’s accuracy and built-in safety features. The aircraft is meant to give small tactical units an armed aircraft of their own for close air support and border security.

Endurance is up to three hours with 200 rounds on board. Because the drone takes off and lands vertically, crews can launch it from forward positions with no runway. The gun rides in SIG SAUER’s MICROLIGHT remote-controlled weapon station, which the company calls the lightest airborne weapon station in the world, and the station, gun and ammunition together weigh 53 pounds (24 kg). Stabilization keeps the gun steady while the drone hovers, and the operator sees sensor and fire-control data merged into one targeting picture.

The M250 is the belt-fed light machine gun the company built for the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program, in which it is replacing the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. The U.S. Army type-classified it in May 2025, and the airborne version can fire 6.8×51 mm rounds or standard 7.62×51 mm NATO ammunition.

“We’re proud of the new SIG SAUER M250, which is combat-proven technology,” said Sali Okanin, Israel general manager for SIG SAUER.

The operator gets live video, target tracks and engagement options from the drone and must authorize each use of the weapon before it fires.

A multi-fuel internal combustion engine powers the aircraft, so units can refuel it in the field with the fuel they already carry instead of waiting for batteries to recharge. IAI and SIG SAUER designed it to travel with small units that have few people to spare, flying overwatch for troops on the move or guarding borders and key sites. Several drones can also work in relays to keep a round-the-clock watch over an area and scout ahead along a unit’s route.