Ukraine may arm drones with cluster cluster bombs to destroy tanks of the Russian Armed Forces, – Forbes

With the help of drones, Ukraine can use cluster munitions as a precision weapon. He writes about this edition of Forbes.

Cluster munitions are very dangerous as they scatter large numbers of small bombs over a large area, often not exploding and remaining on the ground for years, posing a major threat to civilians. Such weapons are prohibited by the Convention on Cluster Munitions, known as the Oslo Convention, but not signed by the United States and Ukraine, unlike Russia, which actively uses cluster bombs in warfare.

The US has transferred a large number of different weapons and military equipment to Ukraine as part of its military assistance, but it does not want to send cluster munitions, contrary to the demands of the Ukrainian authorities. In particular, the Ukrainians requested Mk-20 Rockeye II anti-tank ammunition, which contained 247 small bombs, each capable of neutralizing a Russian tank.

In March, Reuters wrote, citing two representatives of the US Congress, Jason Crow and Adam Smith, that the Ukrainian military wanted to dismantle the MK-20 cluster bomb, extract explosive elements such as darts from it, and then fire it from drones. The Armed Forces of Ukraine believes that such ammunition will pierce armor better than existing grenades.

Forbes writes that the Ukrainian troops have already learned how to replace grenades, installing fuses and tail rails on them for greater accuracy. But a homemade fuse can be unreliable, and ammunition often lacks the power to damage a tank unless it hits open hatches.

Ukrainians already have experience using cluster bombs with drones: According to Forves, the military has already successfully converted Soviet PTAB 2.5 ammunition to be launched from large drones or equipped with kamikazes. But they need other, smaller and more powerful bombs to effectively destroy armored vehicles.

Rockeye light ammunition weighs only 500g, so they are perfect for small drones. At the same time, they are immediately equipped with aerodynamic blades, an impact fuse and a warhead that can pierce the thick armor of Russian tanks. During the war in Iraq, up to 30% of Rockeye bombs did not explode because they fell on soft sand, but in Ukraine the terrain is different, moreover, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will shoot bullets pointwise, knowing the location of each. fell from them.

In March, Republicans in the US Congress called for the transfer of DPICM cluster munitions to Ukraine. They turned to President Joseph Biden and said that such bombs could offset Russia’s superior manpower and artillery.