Improvised anti-drone ammo: A new tactic in Ukraine's war
Drones have become a significant challenge for infantry soldiers in Ukraine. An interesting example of Russian improvisation is the creation of homemade anti-drone ammunition for AK system rifles. Here’s a closer look at this solution.
Both sides in the conflict seek effective anti-drone technologies because jammers are not always reliable due to alterations in control frequencies, drones controlled via fibre optic cables, or experiments with drones based on artificial intelligence algorithms.
As a result, kinetic solutions that physically disable drones have become commonplace, with smoothbore shotguns being among the most frequently used. However, these are not always sufficient, which is why the Russians have also resorted to producing homemade anti-drone cartridges for use in AK rifles. Here, you can see the production process and a field test.
Russian anti-drone ammunition — turns a rifle into a kind of miniature shotgun
The production footage shows that the first step involves removing the projectile from the cartridge and replacing it with an anti-drone projectile. This comprises six lead pellets (approximately 4 millimetres), which are then packed into a heat-shrink tube sealed with a heat gun.
The result is a type of buckshot ammunition for the primary rifle. Its effectiveness is uncertain, but the rifle appears to function adequately with this ammunition. The only recommendation from the Russian side is to remove the muzzle brake, as it can cause a blockage in the barrel, reducing accuracy. Firing another shot without addressing this could lead to catastrophic damage to the weapon and potential injury to the shooter.
The exact effectiveness of this ammunition is not yet known, but the effective range is several dozen metres. It seems that the target was roughly 30 metres away during testing, and at this distance, the pellets could still penetrate an aluminium target simulating a drone. This performance is inferior to that of shotguns; however, it eliminates the need to carry two separate weapons, requiring only a magazine change and removal of the muzzle device (a quick coupling may be helpful).
