Unmanned aerial warfare has played a crucial role in the ongoing conflict, and Ukraine continues to push the limits of drone technology.
While small kamikaze drones have been widely used, Ukrainian forces are now deploying significantly larger, modified aircraft drones capable of carrying heavy bombs.
According to the Ukrainian defense outlet Defense Express, these drones can deliver up to 250 kg (550 lbs) of explosives, expanding Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities.
Recent attacks on Russian targets in the Bryansk region suggest that these aircraft-based drones are actively being used.
Images released by Ukrainian sources show a FAB-250M-54 bomb and a 120mm mortar shell mounted under an unidentified drone.
A New Era of Drone Warfare
The exact model of the drone has not been disclosed, but its existence does not come as a surprise to Russian forces.
Ukraine has been adapting light aircraft into unmanned combat vehicles for some time. In April 2024, Russian military sources released photos of a SkyRanger Swift aircraft modified into a drone carrying a similar type of bomb.
One of the key advantages of these aircraft-based drones is their ability to be reused. Unlike kamikaze drones, which are destroyed upon impact, these larger drones return to base after dropping their payload.
This allows them to be refueled, rearmed, and sent on further missions, according to WP.
In one instance, markings on a drone indicated it had already hit four targets successfully. Precision targeting is reportedly achieved through an advanced optical sighting system.
Initially, Ukrainian forces were using FAB-100 bombs with these drones, but recent developments indicate that they have now adapted their systems to carry the larger FAB-250.
This shift suggests that Ukraine is either using more advanced aircraft as drone platforms or that the SkyRanger Swift has greater capabilities than previously thought.
The FAB-250M-54 bomb, first introduced in 1954, is a Soviet-era explosive designed for maximum impact.
Weighing 250 kg (550 lbs) and nearly 2 meters (6.5 feet) long, it is a non-guided bomb with a single nose fuse.
Upon detonation, it can eliminate personnel, armored vehicles, and fortified positions within a 120-meter (394-foot) blast radius.
