Ukrainian Forces Deploy New Heavy FPV Drones with Enhanced Warheads

1 July, 2024 Heavy 6-motor FPV drone in service with 3rd Assault Brigade, June 2024. Photo credits: Terra Ops The Ukrainian military has begun using a new model of a heavy FPV attack drone capable of carrying a 5-kilogram warhead.

The footage of the drone's use was released by the Terra unit. Heavy FPV drones with a 6-motor design were spotted in service with the 3rd Assault Brigade, or rather, its Terra attack drone unit. The addition of two extra motors allowed the drones to carry a warhead weighing up to 5 kilograms, significantly increasing their destructive potential.

According to the unit commander with the call sign "Abdullah," the main purpose of the heavy drones is to destroy enemy fortifications, dugouts and buildings where enemy infantry is holed up. Indeed, in the released video, these drones are used primarily to drive enemy manpower out of buildings and closed fortifications.

In the episode about preparing drones for flight, where operators hang a warhead, they showed different types of munitions, including thermobaric and high-explosive fragmentation munitions weighing about 3 kilograms. The combined tactics of using drones is also notable: the first drone, equipped with an explosive warhead, destroys the roof of a building, creating a "passage," after which another drone with a thermobaric munition flies into it. Terra's fighters have launched a fundraiser for 100 heavy drones worth UAH 4 million.

This suggests that the cost of each drone does not exceed UAH 40,000.

Heavy 6-motor FPV drone in service with 3rd Assault Brigade, June 2024. Photo credits: Terra Ops

In general, the military and philanthropists have been paying considerable attention to heavy attack FPV drones since the end of last year. At that time, one of the most popular models was the Mammoth drone, developed by the Ukrainian company Escadrone.

It had a classic 4-motor design and a 10-inch form factor. The Mammoth was a serial record holder for a long time, as it could carry up to 4 kg of payload. With such a warhead, the drone can cover a distance of 12 kilometers.

However, with a smaller warhead of 1.5 kg, the maximum distance increased to 30 km.