TOKMAK, February 25. /TASS/. The Russian Armed Forces have a wide range of standard ammunition for drones capable of hitting virtually any target, from infantry to heavily armored vehicles, an explosive ordnance expert of the unmanned systems platoon of the 1430th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, call sign "Buran," told TASS.

"Currently, the situation is such that we have all the necessary ammunition to engage almost any type of target — they can be anything from heavy cover to armored vehicles or enemy personnel. For example, if we need to engage a large concentration of the enemy, we use the FSP-2.5 high-explosive fragmentation munition. It’s a serious weapon. Despite its lighter weight than, say, an 82-mm mortar round, its fragmentation field even exceeds that of this mortar round," he said. There’s also a munition for destroying enemy fortifications.

"If the guys need to blow up a fortification before engaging personnel, then more powerful weapons are used, such as a thermobaric munition. This munition is specially designed to be carried by drones, for engaging heavy fortifications. It’s a thermobaric munition for unmanned aerial vehicles, which the guys equip, and it destroys fortifications and engineering structures," Buran emphasized.

Requests heeded

HEAT rounds were developed to destroy armored vehicles.

"If we encounter armored vehicles in our work, whether they’re heavily armored or lightly armored, it doesn’t matter. Since a certain point, probably about a year and a half ago, shaped-charge munitions have been supplied specifically for the destruction of such vehicles. This munition is also designed at the factory, manufactured at the factory, and supplied. Moreover, all the pilots’ and bomb experts’ wishes were heeded," the serviceman said.

All the UAV operators’ requests were taken into account during the development and creation of these munitions.

"The munition is manufactured with the specifics we encounter. For example, if a pilot takes off to destroy a vehicle, detects a concentration of personnel, but doesn’t find the vehicle, we can still engage the personnel because this munition also has fragmentation capabilities. Therefore, there are no problems hitting any target."

However, drone operators most often use high-explosive fragmentation munitions. "The most versatile, the most frequently used. It’s a high-explosive fragmentation warhead. The vast majority of targets we encounter are of a mixed nature. For example, personnel in some relatively, let’s say, lightly fortified shelter. So, to defeat both personnel and such shelters, or even unarmored vehicles, we use this most common munition, the high-explosive fragmentation warhead, which can blow up a vehicle, kill enemy personnel, or destroy some kind of engineering facility," Buran noted.