Chinese scientists build ‘recoilless AK-47’ that can be wielded by almost any drone

An automatic rifle specifically tailored for drones has been developed by Chinese scientists, marking a huge step forward in unmanned warfare technology.

The firearm uses the same 7.62mm calibre bullet as the famous AK-47, while the bullet’s velocity can reach 740 to 900 metres per second (2,427 to 2,952 feet per second), 10 metres (33 feet) away from the muzzle, matching the AK-47’s power.

But the main innovation that sets this weapon apart is its almost non-existent recoil. The recoil is as mild as tapping a keyboard.

This means that even a consumer drone – or a toy robotic dog – can wield this gun and fire at will, according to the scientists and engineers involved in the project.

Before this, such scenes were confined to the movies. On real battlefields, such as in Ukraine, small drones have been limited to dropping grenades or mortar shells. Even specialised unmanned weapon platforms or heavily modified drones struggle with the recoil of machine guns, compromising their shooting accuracy and versatility.

Now, the new rifle developed by a team led by Professor Liu Pengzhan with the school of mechanical and electrical engineering at North University of China offers a solution to these challenges.

The team found that drilling a strategically placed hole in the rear of the gun barrel helped vent the gas shock wave generated by the gunpowder explosion. Then, to maintain the bullet’s muzzle velocity, Liu and his colleagues designed a new bullet with a high-strength membrane sealed at the rear and an electromagnetic induction chip inside.