A drone with a mounted shotgun belonging to the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade destroyed more than 20 Russian drones.

The 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the 30th Mechanized Brigade press service published a video of the Russian UAV destruction.

The military installed shotguns on the drone, which made it possible to destroy enemy reconnaissance drones flying over their positions effectively.

In addition to copters, this drone is also capable of destroying Russian troops on the ground, as it uses shotgun shells that work effectively over an area.

The Russian infantry and drones were attacked near the towns of Kupiansk, Synkivka, and Petropavlivka in the Kharkiv region. Militarnyi first reported the use of such drones on December 30, 2024.

The use of shotguns at the front is becoming more and more common, as they allow one single shot, even a not very accurate one, to shoot down or damage enemy drones.

However, shotguns’ effectiveness is limited by their close range and the fact that they can only effectively engage slow targets at low altitudes.

In addition to the Ukrainian Defense Forces, where they are actively supplied to the military, they are also being purchased by other countries to combat drones.

As part of this use, some companies, including Russian ones, have started developing special ammunition that could increase the range of drones and the shot area.

For example, the Russians have a special “intercept” cartridge from Techkrym that fires a weighted net. After the shot, the net opens up and is designed to destroy a drone’s propellers and rotors.

However, the effective range of this ammunition is even less than that of conventional shotgun shells. Russian tests show that the net opens along the trajectory and reaches its optimal deployment at a distance of 30 meters from the shooter.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Ukrainian Defense Forces used an FPV drone armed with a 5.45-mm Kalashnikov rifle made in 1974 (AK-74).

The “Queen of Hornets” drone, equipped with an AK-74 rifle, was sent to clear the infantry. The Wild Hornets elaborate that the invention was invented and tested by the fighters of the BULAVA unit.