Solist Drone Projectile Unveiled in Russia
10 February, 2025 Preparations for the launch of the Russian Soloist drone, February 2025. Photo: iz.ru Russia is testing a hybrid of a strike drone and a guided projectile with a jet engine that flies to a target on a ballistic trajectory.
The news was published by Russian media. Developed by the Russian concern KEMZ, the Solist complex is positioned by the developers as a guided projectile mortar launch into the target area, after which an operator with FPV equipment guides its flight path, thus performing homing. The munition was designed as a disposable, first-person launcher with a top-attack capability.
It has a large payload compartment that can be equipped with RPG-7 or SPG-9 projectiles. It is launched from a transport and launch container mounted on a simple tripod. It is claimed to have a range of 10 kilometers and a peak flight of 2,000 meters.
The projectile itself, weighing up to 20 kg, travels at an average speed of 500 km/h.

After reaching its highest point, the free-falling munition can be controlled by an operator via a video channel through the basic infrastructure for FPV drones: an operator wearing special goggles sees the image and adjusts the flight path from the control panel. The peculiarity of using the ballistic trajectory is the high inertia and flight speed of the projectile, so the projectile is not vulnerable to electronic warfare. However, there are also disadvantages, for instance the operator has less time to change the trajectory, and the maneuverability should be quite modest.
The promising Russian system is expected to be effective against armored vehicles, infantry, sheltered artillery positions, and even low-flying targets. The choice of equipment compatible with FPV drones should ensure easy and widespread integration of the product into Russian units of various branches and types of troops in the future.
The developers position the Solist as a complement to anti-tank missile systems and mortars in infantry units, where they may be ineffective due to terrain and lack of intelligence.
The developers compare the cost of the ammunition to a shot from a conventional anti-tank grenade launcher, noting the simplicity of its design and the possibility of producing hundreds of thousands per year.
However, it is currently only undergoing internal testing.
Earlier, Militarnyi reported that in 2025, Russia planned to launch the production of drones developed jointly with the DPRK.