Russia has announced the development of new 5.45 mm multi-bullet cartridges to combat FPV drones. They were created for small arms to increase the chances of hitting maneuvering air targets during an attack.
Russia has announced the development of new 5.45 mm multi-bullet cartridges to combat FPV drones. They were created for small arms to increase the chances of hitting maneuvering air targets during an attack.
As Military reports, the Kalashnikov concern announced the new ammunition. The company claims that the cartridge has already passed experimental tests: shooters fired from AK-12 assault rifles at drones that simulated an attack at different altitudes and speeds.
The peculiarity of this cartridge is that it contains not one bullet, but several elements. After exiting the barrel, they are separated in an orderly manner, which should increase the area of damage without a sharp deterioration in ballistics. Kalashnikov claims that during tests these elements damaged the engines, batteries, boards and power units of the drone structure.
At the same time, the new ammunition fully corresponds to the dimensions of the standard 5,45×39 mm cartridge. This means that it can be used without changing the weapon itself, and the magazines can be equipped either with only such cartridges, or alternate them with conventional ones. The concern is currently working out the technology that should allow it to go into mass production.
At the same time, the idea of special anti-drone cartridges is not new. Against the backdrop of the mass use of FPV drones, armies and manufacturers are looking for a way to give infantry a cheaper and simpler tool for close-range interception of such targets without the use of more expensive complexes. It is in this logic that the new development of the Russian manufacturer fits.
In early 2026, Russia publicly demonstrated another anti-drone round called «Mnogotochie», which was also positioned as a means of firing from standard machine guns at small drones. The appearance of another such solution indicates that the Russian side continues to search for a working format of ammunition against FPV, but so far we are talking about experimental samples, and not about a confirmed mass standard.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how a radio amateur since childhood, head of the R&D department of Awedyne company Roman Ruban announced the production of an anti-drone gun «Strikha» of his own design against drones and Maviks, which he modified and updated the device to meet modern conditions on the front. We learned from the inventor what is currently known about «Strikha».
