The Ukrainian military is trying to collect a small, almost weightless grenade, which can be attached to the drone and with its help to destroy 40-ton Russian tanks. It is reported by The New York Times.
“War is an economy. This is money. And if you have a drone for $ 3,000 and a grenade for $ 200, and you destroy the tank worth $ 3 million, this is very interesting,” the Ukrainian soldier was told by the calling graph responsible for the publication, responsible for the call. group of drones of their unit.
The main difficulty is to create such a grenade. According to the count, it should weigh about 1.1 pounds – this is the maximum weight that the Dji Mavic 3 drone can carry without a significant flight violation. Now ammunition weighing about 1 pound cannot break through the body of an armored personnel carrier or tank, says the count.
To construct a grenade of the desired weight, his team used a 3D printer. With its help, they try to create a lightweight grenade body, which at the same time can break through the armor of the tank. Military personnel thoroughly study each device before proceeding with the installation of explosives on the drone. They explore ammunition sent to Ukraine from Germany, the USA, France and other countries. The most acceptable grenade for the transfer of the drone is supplied to Ukraine by Germany – DM51. She weighs just about a pound. However, the DM51 was created in order to destroy people, and it is not effective against the tank. Heavier M433 grenades supplied by the United States can break through the tank armor, but they are designed for firing only from manual grenade launchers, and not dropped from drones. They are already trying to install them on drones.