Bullet Curtain:
China’s state-run defence firm Norinco recently said that it has developed the world’s first close-in anti-drone barrage weapon, dubbed the Bullet Curtain.
- It is the world’s first close-in anti-drone barrage weapon.
- It is capable of countering a broad range of low-flying aerial threats including rockets, helicopters, missiles, and most notably, drone swarms.
- It has been made by China’s state-run defence firm Norinco.
- The system was inspired by Metal Storm, which is a rapid-fire weapon concept jointly developed by Australia and the United States in the late 1990s.
- Conventional anti-air systems typically rely on “point-to-point” interception, aiming directly at incoming threats.
- By allowing multiple guns to fire together, the Bullet Curtain system creates a plane of fire that increases the probability of intercepting fast, unpredictable targets.
- The system uses a “plane-to-point” interception model, which forms a wall of projectiles to blanket incoming targets with overlapping firepower.
- The system reportedly uses a 4×4 tight arrangement of 35mm gun barrels for various types of ammunition to deliver a high rate of fire while maintaining quick reload capabilities.
- It fires 35mm advanced hit efficiency and destruction (AHEAD) ammunition that spits hundreds of sub-projectiles each to form a barrage against drones.
- The system reportedly integrates radar, an optical detection system, a fire-control system, an integrated management system, and ammunition with the platform.
- The system has been fitted on a 6×6 truck and configured as a road-mobile air-defence cover embedded in mechanised units.
- Its modular design means it can also be integrated with various platforms, including wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles, naval ships, and fixed installations, allowing rapid deployment across different combat scenarios while staying compatible with existing military infrastructure.
- A computer-based system adjusts the volume and type of fire depending on the target’s nature, allowing dynamic threat engagement.
