Russian Media: Russia's Drone Strike Plan is More Practical than the West's

Reference News Network, May 17 report According to the Russian newspaper "Vedomosti" website on May 14, in order to improve the effectiveness of light weapons against drones, both the West and Russia have proposed two different approaches. Russia has begun developing specialized ammunition, while the West is focusing on developing special "smart sights." What are the working principles of these two devices? Why does Russia's solution seem more promising?

Russian side: Seeking specialized ammunition for anti-drone purposes

Recently, the Russian military will begin to equip 5.45mm caliber multi-projectile ammunition specifically designed for the AK-12 and AK-74 assault rifles. This type of ammunition, loaded into 5.45×39mm cartridges, meets standard dimensions and is intended to destroy enemy first-person view (FPV) drones.

Experience from the special military operation has shown that the military urgently needs means to collectively defend against "small aerial targets," such as automatic turrets, as well as individual air defense equipment to protect squads and individuals from drone attacks.

Shotguns using buckshot can perform this task well; with certain skills, they can accurately hit small enemy drones. However, this type of weapon does not possess all the necessary performance to engage in firepower confrontation with enemy ground forces. The effective range of shotguns is far less than that of assault rifles, and buckshot cannot penetrate light body armor, while the amount of ammunition a soldier can carry is also limited. Equipping soldiers with both shotguns and assault rifles is not a good solution either: soldiers become overloaded, affecting their mobility.

The solution to this problem is to enable assault rifles to have the capability to strike small drones, even if they do not reach the level of shotguns, they should be close to that effect. In addition to the Kalashnikov Group, the Central Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering and the Chekhlikrim Company are also working to solve this problem.

The anti-drone ammunition developed by Chekhlikrim Company has projectiles placed inside a galvanized steel shell, which automatically opens after being fired from the barrel, releasing buckshot that quickly scatters in all directions due to centrifugal force. In addition to being easy to manufacture and low-cost, this type of ammunition has the advantage of a projectile initial velocity of up to 700 meters per second, allowing the shooter to use a smaller pre-aiming motion, or even no pre-aiming at all. Coupled with the fact that this ammunition is heavier, its kinetic energy is greater than that of traditional buckshot, ensuring the destruction of any component of an FPV drone within a distance of 40 meters.

More complex split-type ammunition has the advantage of more concentrated projectile dispersion, ensuring a longer engagement distance against drones. Importantly, these munitions can also be effectively used to strike enemy ground forces when necessary.

Western side: Betting on automated fire control systems

The West has chosen a different path. They have equipped infantry assault rifles with "smart sights" aimed at improving the effectiveness of using conventional ammunition to strike small drones. It is well known that the issue is not the lethality of assault rifle ammunition, but rather that even the most skilled shooters find it difficult to hit such fast-moving small targets. To minimize the impact of human factors in such situations, Western developers decided to equip assault rifles with automated fire control systems similar to those used in armored vehicle combat modules.

Israel's Smart Shooter Company is one of the first developers of such micro fire control systems, having launched the "Smart Sight" - "Smash 2000" fire control system. This device can be mounted on standard rifles and is equipped with a laser rangefinder and ballistic calculator, with built-in target recognition and motion analysis algorithms. The sight automatically identifies targets, calculates the best hit solution, and only allows shooting when the crosshair overlaps with the designated aiming point. The manufacturer claims that such sights can achieve effective engagement distances of 120 to 150 meters against FPV drones.

In 2024, the U.S. Marine Corps tested a rifle automatic aiming system developed by the American company "Zero Point." This system is more advanced than the Israeli aiming system and consists of three components: a stock, a sensor module, and a foregrip. With this upgrade kit, standard assault rifles can be modified into automatic aiming systems. The operator only needs to roughly aim at the target and pull the trigger, and the device will correct the errors in manual aiming.

"Zero Point" claims that for small drones flying at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, even untrained shooters can achieve a first-shot hit probability of 98% at a distance of 180 meters.

All of this seems impressive, but how effective can such systems be in the swamps of Europe, in autumn trenches, or in deserts? Most importantly, what is the cost?

In light of this, Russia's solution appears to be more practical. Experience from the special military operation has proven that any weapon should be low-cost and capable of being equipped on a large scale. (Translation/ Han Ziling)