>>..."...Currently, the only countermeasure to fiber-optic drones is a lookout armed with a shotgun..."
As someone who grew up shooting skeet and trap, this sounds like fun - if you don't factor in the possibility of imminent death.
I've read that in WWII, fighter pilots were encoouraged to shoot skeet as it would help them keep their skills at 'deflection shots*' sharp.
*The target is moving, projectiles take a while to get to the target, ‘deflection’ means pointing at where the target is going to be when your projectiles get to that distance. I've seen people struggle with learning it.