During February 2023, a PDF militant based in southeastern Myanmar’s Kayin State published video documentation of improvised rounds produced and tested by himself and his comrades, for use as ammunition for weaponized UAVs. The detailed footage shows the production of the rounds, made by casting resin layered with fragmentation in casts, and then filling with improvised black powder. The most notable feature of the rounds was the impact fusing mechanism, based on the operation of plastic percussion caps sourced from toy gun ammunition (caps,) several of which serve to ignite the main charge upon impact. This mechanism constitutes a novel, innovative improvised fuse not previously evidenced in Myanmar or other arenas. While it may have its drawbacks, mainly as it requires precise impact to trigger initiation, it can nevertheless produce the successful initiation of rounds, and attests to the ingenuity of the militants in Myanmar, capable of producing increasingly creative and effective improvised weapons with the limited means at their disposal.
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