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Anti-Drone Technology Development
Comparison of anti-drone rifle round characteristics across global developers.
Primary Sources
Kalashnikov Tests New 5.45 mm Anti-Drone Cartridges
Kalashnikov reports successful tests of new 5.45 mm anti-drone cartridges for AK-12, designed to hit fast-moving UAVs and disable key components effectively. Kalashnikov Concern has announced the development and successful testing of new 5.45 mm multi-projectile cartridges designed to counter drones in the zone of the special military operation. According to the company’s press service, the trials focused on how effectively these rounds perform against fast-moving and highly maneuverable targets. Test results showed that when the projectile fragments hit a drone, they damage critical components such as motors, batteries, electronic boards, and structural elements. This type of impact leads to the drone losing control and crashing. The company also reported that the customer gave a positive assessment of the cartridges’ tactical and technical characteristics, as well as their accuracy. The ammunition is intended for use with the AK-12 assault rifle and features a multi-element payload that increases the likelihood of hitting aerial targets, particularly FPV drones. At the same time, the cartridge design maintains stable firing performance and ensures reliable weapon operation.
Russia Trying to Get Into Anti-Drone Rifle Game With New AK Bullets ...
Russia is now trying to mass-produce anti-drone bullets for its Kalashnikov assault rifles. Arkadii Budnitskii/Anadolu via Getty Images 2026-04-10T04:38:13.662Z Russia is looking to go big in the anti-drone ammo game, with a new 5.45mm rifle round. Kalashnikov Concern said it plans to mass-produce bullets that split into fragments to kill drones. Ukraine is already developing similar bullets, as such designs creep into the global defense industry. Russia's primary small arms manufacturer, Kalashnikov Concern, said on Thursday that it's developing 5.45mm rifle rounds specifically designed to disable drones. Though similar types of bullets have emerged sporadically on the Russian battlefield since last year, Kalashnikov Concern said it plans to mass-produce the rounds, formalizing a national effort to make drone-killing ammo for individual troops.The armsmaker said the 30-round magazine is built for the AK-12 gas-operated assault rifle, with each bullet releasing a "multi-element projectile that significantly increases the probability of hitting UAVs."Kalashnikov Concern said the round can be used in burst and single-fire modes and was tested against a drone hovering in the air and another drone flying along a preset path.Ukraine has been making its own anti-drone rifle rounds, with a bullet called the "Horoshok," or "Little Pea," that splits into multiple fragments to widen the area of impact. Kyiv said in December that it plans to produce 400,000 of these rounds a month. The Ukrainian 5.56mm round, however, sees the bullet traveling some distance before it fragments — extending the range of the shot.Kalashnikov Concern said in its announcement that the fragments of its bullets "systematically separated upon exiting the barrel" during tests against fast-moving small drones.Some Russian units were thought to have first publicized the overall idea, such as one group of soldiers who filmed themselves in February 2025 using steel pellets and heat shrink tubes to convert 7.62mm rounds into makeshift shotgun shell-like bullets.The entire concept calls back to the now-widespread use of shotguns in the Ukraine war as a final line of defense against first-person-view drone attacks. The tactic became especially popular as both sides started using fiber-optic drones, which can't be remotely jammed.The West is experimenting with anti-drone rifle rounds, too.The US Navy's Naval Surface Warfare Center, for example, said in February that it's developing a "drone-kil...
Drone Production Facility: How Iran Deepened Its Military Partnership ...
An expanding partnership between Iran and Russia that in recent months has included Iran sending drones and other equipment to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.
Anti Drone Rifle Rounds (Military and Civ Use) - YouTube
Today we test standard 12-gauge vs modern anti-drone rifle rounds against real-world drone threats. From trenches to moving vehicles, we push both to failure and find out what actually works when ...
