Russian BRT Dronoboy Anti-UAV Muzzle Attachment

FPV kamikaze drones have really changed the battlefield. They are small, fast, cheap and devastating against infantry and vehicles alike. The Russo-Ukrainian war is probably the conflict where these machines have been used most extensively and ever since the sides started deploying them, they have also been trying to come up with solutions for defense against FPV drones. Arguably the most effective, readily available and affordable counter-FPV tool at the moment is the good old scattergun. However, one major disadvantage of using shotguns is that you need to carry a separate shoulder-fired weapon. Attempts to make more compact and lightweight devices for anti-FPV warfare have resulted in the creation of things like the Ukrainian MSD-5 pepperbox or the 12 gauge barrel inserts for underbarrel grenade launchers. In this article, we’ll take a look at one of the latest anti-drone devices, a rifle attachment called Dronoboy developed by Russian company BRT (one of the leading suppressor manufacturers in Russia).

The BRT Dronoboy (дронобой, roughly translates as drone killer) is basically a muzzle attachment for AK rifles that can be muzzleloaded with a plastic container full of birdshot which is presumably fired using blank cartridges (maybe even live ones as there seems to be a central hole in the containers). The company sells two types of birdshot containers one of which has an additional fast-burning powder charge which I assume is ignited by the gasses of the rifle cartridge and works as a booster increasing the velocity of the payload. The containers are loaded with a whopping 80 grams (2.82 oz) of #3 birdshot. The device is made of steel, is 170mm (6.7”) long, has an external diameter of 38mm (1.5”) and weighs in at 500 grams (1.1 lbs).

The birdshot containers are not the only projectiles Dronoboy can launch. The bore of this device has a diameter that allows loading it with shells of the 23x152mm cartridge (definitely launched with blanks). This is the cartridge of the Soviet ZU-23-2 autocannon. Improvised muzzle-attached 23mm shell launchers were seen back in 2018 in Donetsk. The company notes that with the 23mm projectiles, the Dronoboy can be used not only against infantry, vehicles and equipment but also against UAVs when firing OFZT high-explosive tracer projectiles with V19UK time fuzes.

Here is a video showing the testing of the Dronoboy: https://vk.com/video-135803537_456240400

Let us know in the comments section what is the most effective counter-FPV measure in your opinion.

Pictures by BRT, www.rdt-russia.ru