The normal round we’d see used are buckshot, birdshot, and slugs. Yet, when it comes to military shotgun ammo, ... Each flechette was .73 of an inch long and weighed only 7.3 grains.

What are flechette shells? The tank- or aircraft-fired shells contain thousands of metal darts— fléchette is the French word for dart— each about 37.5 millimetres long.

The Israeli military is believed to be using flechette shells, which spray out thousands of tiny and potentially lethal metal darts, in its military operation in Gaza. Advertisement.

Flechette shells are usually fired by a tank and are designed to explode in the air over a target, showering it with thousands of tiny steel darts around 4cm (1.57 ins) long.