Casting a Wide Net – Providing the Benefits of Programmable Ammunition to Law Enforcement

The disruption caused by small, commercial drones is not only being felt at the modern battlefield. Public buildings, critical infrastructure, large public gatherings and peace time military exercises are all facing an ever increasing buzz of small, anonymous drones. And with few exceptions, local law enforcement and national defense forces have no means of countering the new threat.

- The challenge is that most of the weapons and systems developed to deal with drones cannot be used during peace time. For obvious reasons, firing live and often explosive ammunition in urban areas is not a good option, and in a lot of countries militaries are not authorized to use force unless in extreme circumstances. So in reality we are almost defenseless against something that could turn from minor annoyance to a serious threat with little or no warning, said Mr. Gard Ødegårdsstuen, Director of Ammunition R&D at Nammo Raufoss.

Last year Nammo released footage showing how its programmable 40 mm high explosive grenades are able to take down small commercial drones at distances out to 500 meters. Subsequent tests have demonstrated the ability of a remote weapon station equipped with a small radar and firing programmable ammunition to successfully locate and shoot down moving drones, thus creating an effective defensive system for units in the field.

Testing of Nammo's programmable ammunition against moving drones in late 2017. 

Recently, however, Nammo has been working to take this technology one step further, and create a version of the system that could also be used during peace time by law enforcement and security forces.

- On the surface everything looks the same. We have a programming unit that tells the ammunition how long it should fly for after being fired before detonating, just as with our previous design. What we have changed, however, is what happens once the shell detonates. Instead of shrapnel, the new ammunition releases a net, a wire, or a sling at a precise location which is thrown forward and wraps itself around the drone, said Christian Johnsen, one of the engineers working on the new ammunition within the Nammo development team. 

The net relies on the centrifugal forces from the spin of the shell to open up, which means that it only has to carry a small opening charge about the size of a firecracker, thus limiting the danger it poses to its surroundings. Also, once opened, the net’s combination of low mass and high drag will help ensure that any shots that miss their target will fall harmlessly to the ground. It nevertheless retains the range of the standard 40 mm system, which means that it has far greater range than any other net-based anti-drone system available today. The Nammo team is also looking at integrating the system into other types of shells and cartridges to allow it to be fired from a range of different guns and launchers.

- We think that this could really make a difference. This relies on technology and on weapons that are already in service, and that we know work. Our hope is to be able to demonstrate this in the not too distant future, and then to begin discussions with potential partners and customers, said Ødegårdstuen.