3D printed cartridges for anti-drone defence
Problem. Small drones (including FPV Kamikaze Drones) have become a major element of modern warfare and are used to attack personnel, vehicles and stationary targets. Currently, drones are responsible for nearly 70% of all casualties on the battlefield. Drones are controlled either by radio waves or via fibre-optic cable. While radio-controlled drones can potentially be jammed with electronic counter measures with varying success, the fibre-optic drones can not be jammed at all. One of the alternative methods to eliminate the drone threat is to shoot down the drone using a shotgun. While a well-trained shooter can hit and destroy the drone, there are multiple challenges in this task: ⦁ The shotgun is not an army-issued weapon and is sourced by individuals as a personal initiative. ⦁ It is impractical (additional weight, additional maintenance, additional ammunition) and too costly to equip every soldier with both a regular automatic rifle and a shotgun. ⦁ Most shotguns hold only 2 to 8 rounds. Reloading requires a significant amount of time. ⦁ Many older shotguns have a fixed choke and their shot pattern is too broad.Proposed solution. We have developed 3D printed cartridges that replace metal bullets in standard automatic rifle ammunition. 3D printed cartridge contains up to 5 steel balls and when fired in single shots or in short bursts, the formed swarm of steel balls creates a sufficiently dense pattern of projectiles that reliably damage and destroy the attacking drone. This modified ammunition can be used in a standard-issue automatic rifle. The 3D printed cartridges are assembled and made into modified ammunition in Ukraine. Unique features of our solution. We use industrial grade 3D printing machines which offer very high production output and extremely precise and consistent finishing of the print. High production output allows us to produce 20,000 cartridges per day (for comparisons, small commercial 3D printers can print 5 cartridges in 30 minutes). Precision and consistency (not achievable on other commercial 3D printers) allow us to produce cartridges which: ⦁ have accurate fit into the original ammunition metal case and therefore ensure uniform ballistic properties for all modified ammunition ⦁ due to the unique design feature the 3D plastic cartridge opens up on exit from barrel or flash suppressor and releases steel balls in a consistent pattern resulting in tight shot grouping. ⦁ do not jam when fired in single shots or bursts or fired through both cold and hot barrel ⦁ can be fired with a fixed flash suppressor ⦁ do not foul the barrel or the flash suppressor Benefits of the proposed solution. The proposed solution enables us to issue every soldier on the battleground with at least one magazine (loaded with 30 modified ammunitions). When presented with a drone threat, the soldier can use his normal standard-issue automatic rifle by quickly changing the magazine. Availability of 30 ammunitions significantly increases the chances of hitting and destroying the enemy drone. When the drone threat is dealt with by a group of soldiers equipped with modified ammunition, the destruction of the drone is almost certain. Further development This round of development has been focused on the modified ammunition for automatic rifles of 5.45 calibre. The next phase of development is the design, test and production of modified ammunition for 7.62 calibre rifles and for 5.56 calibre. Contacts for enquiries: Mob: 07403 373697 Email: Induchny@outlook.com Our current effort is focused on a countermeasure against small drones (FPVs, Mavics, Autels). A special bullet cartridge, filled with steel balls, has been developed by us and it replaces ordinary munition in standard army issue rifles. This product increases the number of released projectiles by 5 for every fired shot and significantly enhances the likelihood of damaging and destroying an enemy drone. This is a defensive product aimed to protect personnel and equipment from drone attacks. 70 to 80 % of casualties and fatalities on the front line are a direct result of drone attacks, and we plan to establish this product as a simple, effective, widely available and reliable means of reducing or minimising the loss of life and health on the battlefield. We went from a concept to small field tests and then to larger trials in real battle conditions with a number of army units. Now the trials are successfully accomplished. The feedback is extremely positive, with many Russian drones shot down and we now have a large number of requests for this product from many army units. This product is literally saving lives every time it is used. Our initiative with this product is non-commercial and is based on volunteering efforts and financial support from donors. We have outstripped our internal financial capabilities and are looking for additional support to produce as much product as possible. As a guide, the cost of making the cartridges is 18 pence per cartridge, and in one run we can produce 10,000 cartridges. If you feel that you could be in a position to help us with this project with financial help of any size, we would be very grateful.