“You can probably only shoot yourself with it”: Putin’s soldiers slam new anti-drone shotgun

Modern battlefields change fast.

Infantrymen must now carry increasingly heavy gear just to survive deadly new threats from the sky.

Yet, when manufacturers push out novel weapons to solve these problems, the reaction on the ground can be intensely negative.

Backlash over gear

A prominent Russian firearms manufacturer recently debuted a pint-sized, single-shot 12-gauge firearm meant to swat down miniature quadcopters. The defense firm, Kalashnikov Concern, highlighted the piece as a major step forward.

The weapon weighs 1.8 kilograms and features a frame that folds down. According to The Armourer’s Bench, this feature was added to make carrying the firearm easier for mobile troops. The Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering handled the development.

Industry judges even handed the project a gold medal during an innovation exhibition. Alongside the weapon, creators rolled out specialized multi-bullet ammunition in 5.45×39mm and 7.62×54mmR calibers to give infantry a better shot at airborne targets during the war in Ukraine.

Frontline anger erupts

But accolades from a trade show mean very little to the infantrymen dodging explosives.

United24Media reported that military bloggers and active soldiers alike immediately trashed the device.

Critics point out that forcing a soldier to haul an extra load for just one shot is entirely impractical.

They argue the ergonomics are clunky and reloading takes far too long. It simply cannot stop swift, nimble targets.

The online fury spread rapidly across social media platforms. Disgruntled commentators suggested the state should invest in better defensive tech instead.

One critic allegedly wrote a biting review of the firearm, stating, “You can probably only shoot yourself with it”.

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A familiar pattern

It remains to be seen if Kalashnikov will actually manufacture the device in bulk. For now, it is just a prototype. Frontline troops continue to debate whether these niche gadgets offer any real utility against drone threats.

This is not the first time the manufacturer has turned heads with a controversial release. At a Middle Eastern defense expo earlier this year, the company unveiled a portable loitering munition called the Rus-PE.

They boasted it was a brand-new, AI-enabled asset.

Independent analysts quickly noticed striking similarities to an Israeli-made drone called the Hero-90. According to The Armourer’s Bench, the Russian platform closely mimicked the Western-aligned weapon’s physical layout, launch tube, and target acquisition software.

This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation