The irony of shooting: the AFU began using American shotguns in the SSE zone

The Ukrainian military has started using American 12-caliber M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System (MASS) under-barrel shotguns in the SSE zone - the first photo of this weapon in AFU units has appeared on the Net. This shotgun, which is mounted on assault rifles, was used by the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, mainly for engineering tasks, such as breaking down doors. In Ukraine, it is planned to be used to combat UAVs. How effective it is and how drones are fought in the Russian Armed Forces - in the material of "Izvestia".

American gift

Shotgun 12-caliber M26 MASS is an American modular system. It can be used as a stand-alone weapon (for this purpose it has a clip-on buttstock) or installed with a Picatinny bar under the barrel of M-4 or M-16 assault rifles. The system weighs 1.2 kg, and is equipped with magazines for three and five rounds of 12-gauge ammunition. Effective firing is possible at ranges up to 30 meters.

Development of the system began in 1999 for US special operations forces. It was first tested in 2002, and was adopted by the U.S. Army in 2011. Over time, the system has been used by other units. In 2008, the U.S. Army announced that it would purchase about 35 thousand units of this weapon.

The weapon has been battle-tested. The U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan used it mainly for engineering tasks - for example, breaking down doors or firing non-lethal ammunition.

The shotgun has a short barrel - 197 mm - and manual reloading. The large reversible bolt handle, which is necessary for feeding a new cartridge, folds to the side when needed, so that it does not protrude beyond the dimensions of the shooting system.

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To fight tactical drones like the Mavik or FPV drones, a simple shotgun will be preferable, Vladimir Starodub, a two-time Russian benchrest shooting champion and combat training instructor at the Patriot Center in Kursk Region, told Izvestia.

- The drone is easy enough to hit - for example, shoot off at least one blade, and it will start to fall, - he said. - Long-barreled weapons are better, of course. We have excellent smoothbore rifles. These are reliable weapons. They have shown themselves to be very effective against FPV drones, they should be purchased. We need, for example, the Saiga, which has many variants - both with long barrels and shorter ones. It is a ten-shot weapon.

Vladimir Starodub noted that it is better to destroy drones as early as possible - at maximum distance, otherwise there is a great risk of getting wounded.

- The drone's charge can be powerful, and the striking elements can reach at a distance of 20-30 meters and farther. By inertia, the drone can fly towards you. For these reasons it is important to choose a place for a firing position, it is desirable to be covered, to have additional protection. And during training it is important to pay attention to the tactics of using weapons when fighting drones.

It is possible to talk about the effectiveness of the M26 MASS only after trying it out, Colonel Valery Yuryev, chairman of the Union of Russian Paratroopers, told Izvestia.

- It is easier to shoot down drones with shot than with an assault rifle or under-barrel system," he said. - The long barrel increases the aiming range. A hunting rifle will allow you to hit a drone at 50 meters, such weapons are more accurate than the under-barrel system. Now there are also multi-shot carbines, which allow for heavy fire.

For comparison, the same domestic hunting carbine "Saiga" 12-caliber has magazines designed for eight to ten rounds and a drum for 20.

Guns vs. drones

UAVs are now actively used in the zone of the SSO with in the border areas of the Kursk region. Earlier "Izvestia" wrote that during the fighting in the border areas hunting weapons turned out to be the most suitable for fighting small FPV drones. A drone hunter in the Akhmat Special Forces reconnaissance unit with the call sign Pirat said that the main thing in a fight with a drone is not to let it get close.

Tactical UAVs often carry powerful explosive charges with destructive elements. Destroying a drone with such equipment at a range of 30 meters does not guarantee the preservation of life - it is very likely that the explosion will hit the shooter with shrapnel, and the wounds received may be incompatible with life.

The pirate often takes a 16-gauge hunting rifle with him, but he believes that a 12-gauge weapon is the best choice.

Against the "kamikaze" he advises to use a multi-loading hunting carbine "Saiga" or multi-loading pump-action shotguns - after all, it is better to be able to make several shots.

The choice of cartridges is also important. Special cartridges with Kevlar thread have shown themselves well against small drones. In the air, such ammunition opens up, forming a strong network of about a meter in diameter, and the chances of destroying the drone are seriously increased.

Against heavy tactical drones "Baba Yaga", which the enemy uses as night bombers, machine guns are used, preferably with armor-piercing bullets. Such a drone can carry four 120-millimeter or six 82-millimeter mortar mines, and armor plates are often attached to it from below.

Our fighters ambush them. The machine gunner is paired with a sniper, who shows the drone with tracer bullets. Then a machine gunner comes in, who fires from a tripod. The fighters say that it is not necessary to penetrate the armor plate, it is enough to shoot off the propeller blade or some unit, after which the UAV itself will crash to the ground.