File image.
Ukraine is reportedly experimenting with arming its FP-2 drones with unguided rockets to target Russian mobile fire groups.
The FP-2 was developed by the Ukrainian firm Fire Point. It is the mid-range version of the FP-1 fixed-wing suicide drone, with the range reduced from 1,400 kilometers to just 200 kilometers, and the weight of the warhead increased from around 50 kg up to 105 kg.
The drone is guided via a GPS-aided inertial navigation system, and can be equipped with a forward facing infrared camera along with a Starlink satellite terminal to provide man-in-the-loop guidance in the terminal phase.
A copy of the drone armed with unguided rockets was used in a recent attack on the Crimean Peninsula. It fired the rockets at a mobile fire group, but missed, and was shot down right after. Video footage of the unusual engagement surfaced online on May 12.
Photos of the wreckage revealed that the drone was carrying two quad rocket launch pods, one under each wing. The rockets were most likely Soviet-made S-5s.
Click to see full-size image.
Click to see full-size image.
This is the first time an FP-2 drone with such a configuration has been documented, and it is unclear if the drone was still armed with a warhead, or modified to be reused.
While the concept is certainly interesting, the experimental attack on Crimea was clearly a failure, and Fire Point may not repeat it.
With unguided rockets, it will be extremely difficult to hit a target, let alone a moving target like a mobile fire group. Of course using guided munitions is possible, but this will increase the cost in a significant manner, which goes directly against the main idea of using suicide drones.
Russia first formed mobile fire groups more than a year ago in response to the increase in Ukrainian drone attacks on its territories. These groups, which are typically armed with anti-aircraft guns and man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), have been very effective, especially in Crimea — one of the prime targets of Ukrainian drone attacks.
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