USA Tests 5.56 mm Anti-Drone Round: Small Arms Become “Precision Air Defense”

The United States has tested a specialized 5.56×45 mm anti-drone ammunition designed to intercept FPVs and small quadcopters at close range.

The round allows a conventional assault rifle to serve as a “point air defense” for infantry, a military observer shared with Administrative Results.

The bullet’s design features a shifted center of mass and a modified jacket, causing it to lose gyroscopic stabilization after 10-15 meters of flight.

This forms a wide cone of destruction that compensates for the drone’s small silhouette and low speed.

The ammunition is fully compatible with AR-15, SIG MCX, SCAR-L, and other 5.56mm systems, and does not require any adapters, muzzle devices, or special optics. The shooter simply changes the magazine and receives a means of fighting UAVs.

During the tests, the shooter fired at moving drone simulators at distances of 15-50 meters. High-speed cameras recorded the characteristic “swinging” of the bullet and the stable formation of a debris cloud at medium distances.

At a distance of 25-35 meters, the bullet forms a cone of destruction with a diameter of 30-40 cm. At 40-50 meters, the zone reaches 60-80 cm, which significantly increases the chances of intercepting FPVs even without an accurately aimed shot.

Partial contact with a debris cloud is enough to destroy an FPV: the propeller, camera, antenna, or battery fails, and the drone goes into uncontrolled flight and falls within a split second.

Compared to standard FMJ bullets, the new ammunition increases the probability of shooting down drones: instead of needing to hit a 15-centimeter target, the shooter gets an interception zone up to half a meter wide.

In terms of effectiveness at short range, the cartridge is close to 12-gauge shotgun solutions, but retains the advantages of 5.56 mm – high rate of fire, control, and low recoil.

At the same time, the cost of such solutions is orders of magnitude lower than any counter-UAV systems.

Tests have confirmed that the American 5.56 mm anti-drone cartridge is one of the simplest and cheapest FPV short-range interceptors that can be loaded into a standard magazine of the appropriate caliber without additional equipment or special training.

Ukraine has recently codified anti-drone ammunition for assault rifles.