Essentially, the UL-13 is a recon-drone, low-cost UAV, land-mine, grenade and missile-system all rolled into one. Important is the fact it can be launched by ground-crew with no special expertise.

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Fairly simple in construction, the UL13 features many nano-crystalline components. While typically this would be expensive to manufacture, use of neutron-applicator atomic construction systems dramatically decrease the price of the unit, making it surprisingly affordable.

Anatomically, the drone is essentially a quasicrystaline processor, communications system, basic sensor-array, explosive warhead, sealant warhead, rotary lift system and propulsive system – all in a 50-caliber form-factor.

When in barrel, an electrical contact ring in the round aligns with that of the barrel. Simple electronic instructions sent to the round dictate its proceeding behavior, which is usually delivered via a mode-selector on the under-barrel mountable launcher. Alternatively, the round may be 'programmed' via any basic MONOS user, expanding on the rounds capabilities. Alternatively, the cap can be twisted, the rear shell assembly slid away (priming it) and the round thrown. The round will identify it is a minimum distance from its launcher before activating.

Important to note is that the round is still transmitting information back to its source and via MONOS intent-recognition and can still be updated and issued instructions at any point - such as conditions to launch, track or detonate.

Modes include:

The round can be primed and planted into cover, to act as a remote sensor sending information back to its source. Information can be issued to the round, instructing it to act based either on direct information or special conditions, similar to a land-mine, bomb, hidden rocket for ambush or distraction.

Either launched from the barrel or from a set location or cover, the UL13 can be launched and guided to a target, though it is more expensive and has a lower yield than similarly sized units, making it a poor choice for this type of operation alone.

The round will ignite a first-stage rocket-system until it achieves terminal height. It will then unfold its rotary lift system (similar to that of a helicopter), keeping it in position over the battlefield. From here, it beams back useful information encoded via information datalink, giving ground-crews an idea of what is going on beneath it. Using a combination of IR, magnetic and electrostatic systems similar to both passive and active radar, it will create volumetric 3D information to be transcoded by ground-crew computers.

If the unit features a gravitic centrifuge in its construction, it will not feature a rotary lift system and will maintain altitude with the GC-unit. It will also use gravitic sensors in conjunction with existing sensors to produce a higher fidelity image.

Optionally, the round can be tethered, meaning the data is sent along an insulated wire hardlink to ground-crew without open broadcast, making jamming, interference and transmission alteration extremely difficult. Many units can be used together to create a much larger map of the battlefield. The combination of the centrifuge and wire will typically help maintain a stealth advantage while negating the fog of war.

From here, it will await further instructions- for example, to guide down onto a target to detonate.

In the event the UL13 is set to statiplast and it strikes an object, the outer-casing will fragment away and the sticky expanding rapid-drying polymer underside (now primed) will stick it to an object. Rather than hang off, much of the harder components (excluding sensors, warhead, battery, communications) will be jettisoned, making the UL13 become a smooth black plastic bulge against the target requiring specialist equipment to remove. To this end, it is especially effective against sensors, joints and moving parts of mechanised industry, sometimes capable of gluing legs to hard and heavy surfaces and seriously hindering the agility of powered-armour. It will continue to transmit information and the explosive warhead, if detonated, will funnel the full explosive force inward against the target.

At any point or under specialist instructions (for example, information data-link, programmed conditions, etc) the UL13 can be instructed to detonate. Optionally, the outer shell of the round is made to be shattered to act as a fragmentation round, splitting into sharp pieces like metallic glass. By shifting the warhead component back via solenoid, the direction of the explosion can be funnelled forward or in a given direction - and the spinning round detonated at a specific point to rain the fragmentation shrapnel down, up or across onto the target. In this sense, it can be used as a grenade with a parabolic arc, using the UAV function to guide down onto a target. Multiple rounds can be put into the air and then synchronised to destruct upon striking the same target at the same time.