Ukraine Codifies Anti-Drone Ammunition for Assault Rifles

Ukraine has approved the use of advanced 5.56×45 mm anti-drone ammunition for its military, designed to offer enhanced effectiveness against UAV threats.

According to a statement from the Brave1 defense cluster, the newly developed rounds feature a specialized warhead that significantly increases a soldier’s chances of successfully neutralizing FPV drones and commercial quadcopters like Mavic.

It is chambered in the 5.56×45 mm caliber, which is widely used by the Ukrainian Defense Forces, and can be routinely employed with standard assault rifles. In particular, the video showed the ammunition being fired from CZ BREN 2 and AR-15 rifles.

Based on its description and appearance, the round resembles a multi-projectile cartridge — upon firing, the bullet fragments in the air into several parts. This significantly increases the density of fire and, consequently, boosts the chances of hitting the target by two to three times.

It is expected that each infantry soldier will carry a dedicated magazine loaded with these anti-drone rounds, which can be quickly attached to a rifle and used to open fire upon detecting enemy UAVs.

While specific characteristics and development details remain undisclosed, it is possible that the new ammunition will be produced in several variants to fit other commonly used rifle calibers within the military.

Similar ammunition in rifle calibers is also being developed in Russia. In March, the developers of such a round claimed they had achieved acceptable accuracy, with round fragments spreading within a 25-centimeter diameter when fired from a distance of 100 meters.

Currently, neither side has serially produced anti-drone ammunition in widespread use. As a result, soldiers on both sides of the front often resort to crafting improvised versions of such rounds themselves.

For example, enthusiasts have repeatedly replaced standard rifle bullets with metal shot bound together using heat-shrink tubing. Russian hobbyists have also showcased 3D-printed plastic containers filled with shot for 7.62 mm cartridges.

However, the effectiveness of these improvised rounds is often questionable — even against lightweight plastic UAVs — and they tend to deliver inconsistent results or, in some cases, may even damage the weapon.

Militarnyi previously reported that the German company RWS GmbH has introduced specialized Urban Drone Defence (UDD) machine gun cartridges designed to counter drones.