Russia is testing a family of cartridges on the battlefield in Ukraine that are designed to destroy small drones.
Russia is testing a family of tungsten-based gun cartridges on the battlefield in Ukraine designed to destroy small drones.
The IGLA family of counter-drone cartridges consists of pellets made of a harder substance to inflict greater damage.
According to TASS, the pellets are made of an alloy of tungsten, nickel, and iron.
"We have conducted tests, in which pellets hitting a drone penetrated it down to its circuit board,” the Russian state-owned outlet quoted a representative of the developer as saying.
“As they hit a drone, they also damage its propellers and storage battery. A pellet can also pierce the frame.”
Denser Pellets
State conglomerate Rostec unveiled the IGLA cartridges in May at the MILEX 2025 defense exhibition in Minsk, Belarus. The family includes the IGLA 30, 50, 100, and Tracer 75 models.
The numbers indicate the ammunition’s effective ranges in meters.
The IGLA 100 is said to be 1.5 times denser than lead and can penetrate two 1 mm thick aluminum sheets together at its maximum range, Calibre Defence wrote.
The cartridges are of 12/70 and 12/76 calibers, the UK-based outlet added.
