US Marine Corps buys 400,000 rounds of 5.56mm anti-drone ammunition

Published Aug 3, 02:57 PM UTC

The U.S. Marine Corps has purchased 400,000 rounds of a new 5.56mm anti-drone ammunition from Arizona-based company Drone Round, with plans to buy another 1 million rounds next fiscal year. The ammunition, called the 5.56 L Variant, fires five projectiles per trigger pull from standard-issue M27 and M4A1 rifles, requiring no weapon modifications. This replaces the need for shotguns, which have shorter range, less ammunition capacity, and logistical drawbacks. The Marine Corps stated this is the only commercially available kinetic munition meeting its minimum standards for immediate counter-drone defense. Drone Round partnered with Freedom Munitions to scale production to millions of rounds per month. The development addresses the military's need for inexpensive, practical solutions against small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) that can destroy expensive equipment and infrastructure.