The Barnaul Cartridge Plant has revealed details about the behavior pattern of the bullet it developed for the 5.45 mm cartridge for the Kalashnikov assault rifle. The company's specialists created ammunition with unique geometry that intentionally loses stability after being fired and begins tumbling in the air. The solution is aimed at effectively engaging unmanned aerial vehicles, one of the main threats on the modern battlefield.
The patent for the development was filed back in 2025, but the full technical information has only appeared now, in the latest issue of Kalashnikov magazine. As the authors of the publication note, the new bullet is noticeably heavier and longer than the standard one. The center of gravity is deliberately shifted to the rear specifically to destabilize the projectile's flight along its trajectory.
After leaving the barrel, the ammunition tumbles chaotically around its own center of gravity while simultaneously rotating around the transverse axis. As it approaches the target, the probability of impact with its side surface reaches 75–90%. Thanks to this, the damage area increases by 6–7 times compared with a conventional pointed bullet.
An additional advantage was the increase in dispersion area during automatic fire, which expands the possibilities for engaging group or maneuvering aerial targets.
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