The new assault rifle round drastically increases accuracy against small aerial targets

Russian arms conglomerate Rostec has announced the successful testing of a new dedicated anti-drone round, expected to greatly increase the capabilities of troops to fend off smaller UAVs.

The round, named Mnogotochie (Ellipsis), comes in several calibers commonly used by the Russian military. The new round packs a separating bullet that splits into three pieces mid-air, more than doubling the chances of hitting an aerial target at distances of up to 300 meters, according to Rostec.

"Mnogotochie ammunition was developed to meet the realities of modern combat, where miniature drones have become one of the main threats to soldiers. Experience shows that small arms are an effective means of defense against UAVs," the industrial director of Rostec's military cluster, Bekhan Ozdoev, said.

Footage released by Rostec shows a Russian serviceman trying out the new round at a shooting range. The soldier destroys a small drone from a distance of up to 70 meters on his first shot.

The round does not require any tampering with the service rifle, can be shot with muzzle attachments, and can apparently be intermixed with regular ammo.

The new ammunition has already been battle-tested during the Ukraine conflict, proving its high effectiveness, Rostec said. While the company did not elaborate on how exactly the new bullet functions, it likely features a sabot-like shell that separates from the main projectile mid-air.

Assorted drones - ranging from bomblet-dropping quadcopters and kamikaze FPVs of different types, to heavy agricultural octocopters repurposed for carrying mortar shells and aerial bombs - have been dominating the battlefield in the Ukraine conflict for the past few years.

Both sides have been actively using shotguns to provide their infantry with anti-drone capabilities, as well as experimenting with canister shot munitions for standard-issue assault rifles. The latter experiments have yielded mixed results, with some munitions proving to be too damaging for firearms, while others turned out to be dangerous to fellow servicemen due to sabots separating at high velocities.