Its probably just a ‘training demo’ pic for the sighting system with using blanks instead of live ammo. The sighting system is not just for drones, its also for ground targets.

The system its self is just a sighting system, a sight, it doesn’t actually fire anything its self. It tracks the ‘target’ designated – like the article says “Once the operator designates a target and applies trigger pressure, the SMASH system controls the exact moment of firing, ensuring the round is discharged only when a direct hit is assured.”

So using blanks for training would give the same effect – designate the target, squeeze the trigger, and the sight system will decide when the gun fires to ensure a hit. You don’t need live rounds in training-demo to learn how the sight works, blanks would do it thus a blank adapater.