The US wants to buy ‘clone bullets’ for rifles to fight drones

Systems Command, the agency in charge of procurement for the US Marine Corps, on June 3 announced its intention to purchase an unspecified number of 5.56×45 mm L Variant rifle bullets from Drone Round, under a designated source contract. The contract is expected to be awarded in December.

“This is the only kinetic energy ammunition currently available on the commercial or defense market that meets the strict minimum requirements for immediate defense against small unmanned systems,” the document reads.

According to this document, L Variant is the only bullet model that is compatible with 5.56 mm bullet guns in the US Marine Corps such as M27, M4, M4A1 without modification. Soldiers can also use this ammunition immediately, without the need for additional training or special expertise.

“Not being equipped with this capability will expose marines to unnecessary risks, which could cause mission failure and lead to loss of life,” the document reads.

Drone Round will begin developing specialized anti-drone bullets for infantry guns from 2025. The company currently offers two versions of 5.56 mm bullets, including L Variant and K Variant, capable of splitting into 5 and 8 pieces after leaving the barrel.

L Variant and K Variant have effective ranges of 100 and 50 m respectively. They are compatible with automatic fire and can be used with silencers, according to Drone Round. “The main benefit of clone bullets is to increase the rate of hitting the target when dealing with small-sized and highly maneuverable drones,” Joseph Trevithick, editor of the US military website War Zonecommented.

This type of ammunition gives soldiers more options to deal with drones without having to carry other equipment, making personal equipment lighter and less cumbersome.

Russia’s Kalashnikov Group also announced in April that it was developing 5.45 mm rifle bullets with a similar operating principle. This is a type of ammunition specialized in dealing with drones for the AK-12 series. Each bullet will split into many pieces after leaving the barrel, helping to significantly increase the rate of hitting the drone.