With a light lift: regular ammunition began to be produced for FPV drones

The use of kamikaze drones will become more efficient and safer

Russia has launched a serial production of ammunition for FPV drones. This autumn, deliveries of high-explosive, high-explosive fragmentation and cumulative combat units began to the zone of its operation, in the future this line will be expanded, sources told Izvestia in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the defense Industry. The new products are optimized as much as possible for installation under FPV drones and at the same time do not reduce their maneuverability. The new ammunition is much more powerful than homemade ones, which are now often used on the line of contact. And most importantly, they are safe for calculations, experts say.

For all types of drones

Serial production of ammunition for FPV drones has been established at several enterprises of the Russian defense industry, their regular deliveries to the troops began this fall, two sources in the military department told Izvestia and an interlocutor in the defense industry confirmed.

The new ammunition is equipped with universal fasteners that allow them to be suspended for almost all types of FPV drones that are used in the zone of a special military operation. Now the troops are receiving fragmentation, high-explosive and cumulative combat units. It is planned to expand their range in the future.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Pavel Lisitsyn

Image source: iz.ru

Externally, the charge for the FPV drone looks like a tube. New items are delivered to the troops in special protective plastic cases. As the interlocutors of the publication noted, the main advantage of the new products is their compactness combined with high power. This is achieved by using special explosives. Therefore, serial combat units are seriously superior to homemade products, which are still often used in the military.

— Previously, we had to manufacture, adapt, and "farm" ammunition ourselves. None of this is safe. Now, if there is a standard ammunition box, it will simplify everyone's work, and it will be safe. I would like to have different types of ammunition, for example, thermobaric, — Dmitry Uskov, a volunteer, author of the Telegram channel 13tactical, told Izvestia.

The main advantage of regular ammunition is that it is produced by a factory, and there is no need to "chemicalize" with a fuse, an explosive substance, to come up with something yourself, explained Sergey Parshikov, a veteran of the militia, a volunteer engaged in drones.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Pavel Lisitsyn

Image source: iz.ru

— It's no secret that some calculations were undermined by their own ammunition, which they manufactured for dumping, — he noted. — Now there is a specially designed ammunition with a fuse created for use from a drone, which, I hope, will be regularly delivered to the front.

FPV drones are one of the most dynamically developing areas of unmanned aviation. The operator controls such a device while wearing virtual reality glasses, like a pilot. With proper skill, this allows you to deliver a drone with a warhead precisely to the target, for example, into the door of a dugout or a vulnerable projection of an armored vehicle. For most other weapons systems, such precision is unimaginable.

Products for dumping

In the autumn of 2022, small-caliber ammunition bombs for unmanned aerial vehicles were tested in the area of the SVO. Initially, the new products were used on board the Orlan-10 and Orlan-30 UAVs. They were mounted in special containers under the wings. Later, on the basis of these products, a line of ammunition was developed for dropping from quadrocopters and multicopters. It includes products weighing from 0.5 to 2.5 kg, they carry from 73 to 600 grams of explosive. These munitions are now manufactured in industrial batches.

Photo: TASS/Sergey Malgavko

Image source: iz.ru

The Russian-designed FPV kamikaze drones were presented to the general public this year at the Army 2023 forum.

Earlier, Izvestia wrote that a whole family of light ammunition designed specifically for drones has been developed and tested in practice. In particular, the X-UAV missile was made on the basis of the modified Kornet anti-tank missile system. It exists both in a cumulative version for the destruction of armored vehicles, and in high-explosive fragmentation and even thermobaric.

The strike version of the Forpost-RU UAV with air–to-surface guided missiles was first shown at the Army 2021 forum. Two containers with guided missiles, a satellite communications antenna, as well as target designation and surveillance systems were installed on the drone. The flight altitude of this UAV is 5.9 km, the duration is at least 10 hours. At the same time, it was reported that two sets of Forpost-RU attack drones had already been delivered to the troops.

It is known that UAVs can use other ammunition — anti-tank. In particular, the Vorhyr-M supersonic rocket is being tested on the Pacer. During the special operation, it proved itself well in attacks from domestic Mi-28NM and Ka-52 attack helicopters.

The use of shock UAVs was practiced even before the start of the SVO at the landfills. During the Zapad-2021 exercises, it was shown how the Pacer and Swallow attack drones destroy well-camouflaged enemy targets from the air.

Domestic UAVs capable of carrying high-precision weapons have long been used in the special operation zone. The first video of the combat operation of such drones appeared back in March 2022.

The Outpost attack drone

Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korotaev

The military department showed footage using an aircraft-type UAV "Outpost". They struck high-precision missiles at the VFU armored vehicles, warehouses with weapons and ammunition.

The "Outpost" attacked from medium and low altitudes. The results of the liquidation of military facilities and equipment were recorded by means of objective control, the military department reported.

At the same time, they showed how the "Outpost" destroyed a radar of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system in the area of the Ukrainian village of Vypolzov north of Kiev.

Roman Kretsul

Dmitry Astrakhan