The anti-drone solutions of the future won’t always be sophisticated lasers or satellites: they could come from the magazine of a standard assault rifle. Special 5.56×45mm rounds have been tested in the United Statesdesigned to shoot down small drones. According to the manufacturing company, this ammunition allows soldiers to transform an infantry rifle into a type of short-range anti-aircraft weapon.
Fired from conventional rifles (such as AR-15, SIG MCX or any rifle compatible with 5.56 NATO ammunition), without the need for special modifications: just change the magazine. When fired, The bullet does not fly straight like a conventional one: it loses stability (it has a displaced center of mass) and begins to “shake” 10-15 meters after leaving the canyon.
This instability causes the bullet to fragment, generating a “cone of destruction”: multiple small projectiles disperse, increasing the chances of hitting critical parts of a drone (propellers, motor, payload). According to the tests, At a distance of 25-35 meters the cone of destruction reaches a width of between 30 and 40 centimeters, and at 40-50 meters it opens even more, making it more likely that the cloud of fragments will hit a small UAV.
Why is this idea gaining ground? It is cheaper than many other anti-drone solutions. The most common systems now include lasers, electronic jamming or interceptor drones, which can be expensive, complex or not very portable. Also andIt’s easy to deploy: any soldier with a NATO-standard rifle could use it. You don’t need special equipment such as sophisticated optics or adapters.
Another advantage is that it is a versatile system over short distances, which makes it ideal for nearby drone threats, in environments where other anti-drone means are not available or practical. Although this type of munition has now been tested in the US, the inspiration comes, in part, from recent experiences with military drones:
Ukraine has already used similar rounds to defend against drones. The approach responds to a growing trend: swarms or small units of drones are more numerous and often cheap to produce, so shooting them down with traditional missiles is not always profitable.
❗️🇺🇦Ukraine has developed a new type of anti-drone ammunition
More about the ammunition:
▪️a standard 5.56 mm cartridge designed for NATO-style CZ Bren and M4 rifles.
▪️after firing, the cartridge breaks up into approximately five fast-moving pellets.
▪️when firing several… pic.twitter.com/sfEi6UhrOO— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) July 13, 2025
However, not everything is perfect. This solution poses its own difficulties. For example, the new bullets have a plimited rescission. The fragment cone helps, but it does not guarantee a clean hit nor does it necessarily destroy a drone with a single bullet. TheCollateral security is another aspect that needs to be addressed, as using fragmented ammunition can increase the risk to people or objects around, especially in urban environments.
The reality is that, for the military, it represents an additional layer of defense: inexpensive, easy to transport and quickly deployable. It could be used in combination with other anti-drone systems (lasers, jamming, interceptor UAVs) to create a “layered” defense. Technologically, it shows that innovation in weapons does not always happen through the “big explosion”: Sometimes the key is to redesign something very basic (a bullet) for a new use.
This type of innovation is also a reflection of how today’s war is becoming more technological, faster and more mobile: Future battlefields may be more filled with drones than tanksand that requires rethinking how to shoot not only forward, but also upward.