A continuous rod warhead consists of an even number of steel rods arranged in parallel, with the ends of adjacent rods welded together in an alternating pattern. Upon detonation, the explosive charge forces the rods outward in an expanding ring or circle. The welded joints allow the rods to expand without breaking immediately, creating a rapidly growing arc that can slice through the structure of a target aircraft. This design ensures that any part of the aircraft intercepted by the expanding ring receives a continuous cut, which is far more likely to cause catastrophic structural failure than isolated fragment impacts.

This could apply to antipersonnel drone warheads too. Drones need light warheads to maximize flight time and speed, but drone pilots want clearly visible and instantly incapacitating damage. In the Russo-Ukrainian war this is usually achieved with wastefully oversized warheads that reduce speed.

Famous English swordmaster George Silver highlighted the same problem: piercing wounds from rapiers may be perfectly lethal, but slashing wounds are superior for instant incapacitation.

The solution is clear: autonomous mobile swords.

A 4-foot long segment of 3mm by 4mm square steel rod weighs approximately 115 grams. It folds up into a compact 3cm by 8cm ssize with a TNT core in a plastic half-circle shape.
The TNT needed to propel it to 1600 m/s velocity is under 30 grams.
A generic laser rangefinding fuze detonates it 1.2 meters from the target so it is a full arc at impact.

At this velocity, the explosive sword warhead cuts through a level 4 ceramic plate, kevlar backer and all the way through a 95th percentile male torso, along with any nearby limbs. Total incapacitation visible to your soldiers at a distance.