Ukrainian innovation turns old RPGs into drone warfare tools
Ukrainians are increasingly using commercial FPV drones as alternatives to precision weapons, such as anti-tank guided missiles, which are in short supply. Unfortunately, reports indicate that drone losses can reach up to several thousand daily, making developing multi-use solutions a priority. Here, we present one such case.
FPV drones can be highly effective when Russian forces in the area do not have electronic warfare systems deployed or when Ukrainian drones can resist such interference, as has been observed previously.
Unfortunately, whether successful or not, each attack using such a drone is a one-time event. In recent weeks, Russia and Ukraine have been receiving complaints that China is significantly restricting the purchase of parts necessary for drone production. This makes the efficient use of drones increasingly critical.
The ideal scenario would be to create a drone equipped with an anti-tank grenade launcher that could return to the pilot or another pre-determined location for reloading after firing. Below, you can see tests involving an FPV drone fitted with an RPG-22 anti-tank grenade launcher.
FPV drone with rpg-22 grenade launcher - potentially effective use of old weapons
Mounting the RPG-22 grenade launcher on the FPV drone was feasible because these single-use grenade launchers weigh 3 kilograms, comparable to the popular PG-7VL grenades that weigh the same amount before removing some parts.
It is worth noting that the RPG-22 grenade launchers, developed in the 1980s in the USSR, have a calibre of 72.5 mm. They can penetrate up to 400 mm of armour and are suitable for targets up to 200 metres away. However, they are outdated and dangerous because, unlike newer variants of grenade launchers like the AT4 or RGW60, they create about a 20-metre danger zone behind the shooter during firing.
For this reason, it is better to use this type of grenade launcher on FPV drones. Similar to handheld anti-tank grenades from World War II, they can prove to be effective weapons again under favourable circumstances. However, aiming remains a problem and is much more complicated than executing a direct hit on a specified target.
This is already challenging for pilots or artificial intelligence algorithms, not to mention ensuring the precision of the launched grenade. However, it is quite possible that, over time, the concept will reach a sufficient level of utility.
