With the ever increasing drone threat on the modern battlefield, militaries and defense contractors are scrambling to develop an answer to the problem.

One such answer is Rheinmetall's Oerlikon Ahead Air Burst Munition, which was designed for Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (RAM) defense, but has shown promise in mitigating drone threats. The Ahead ammunition consists of a 35mm shell container filled with 152 high density tungsten sub-projectiles. The ammunition is self-programmable by onboard control electronics which alter the deployment of the sub-projectiles based on the speed, distance, and direction of the incoming aerial threat, allowing it to burst directly in front of the target with a high probability of kill.