On 12/5, Denys Shtilierman, co-owner of a Ukrainian company producing FP-1/FP-2 suicide drones, posted thermal camera footage. The video, seemingly recorded by Russian personnel, shows a drone flying amid gunfire. The aircraft then launched rockets at an unspecified target, distant from the camera operator; it remains unclear if the rockets hit.

Ukrainian military news outlet Defense Express also published a similar video. It stated the footage captured a mobile Russian air defense unit attempting to intercept an FP-1/FP-2 drone. "The aircraft responded by firing rockets," Defense Express reported. Open-source intelligence accounts supporting Ukraine identified the rocket's target as a mobile Russian air defense unit operating in the Crimea peninsula. "We can do this too," Shtilierman commented on the video, implicitly confirming that his company produced the drone and modified it to launch rockets. Defense Express noted this was the first time images showed a Ukrainian long-range drone equipped with rockets.

Images released by pro-Russian social media accounts, and cited by Defense Express, displayed fragments of the drone's rocket launcher and several intact rockets. This evidence confirmed the Ukrainian drone was shot down. The rockets used are likely Soviet-made S-5 or S-8 series, with calibers of 57 mm and 80 mm, respectively. The drone's launcher is a four-tube type, and each aircraft can carry two launchers, allowing it to fire up to eight rockets. "This quantity is sufficient to counter mobile air defense units typically deployed in open terrain, using unarmored vehicles," Defense Express reported.

Fragments of rockets and launchers recovered on the ground in a photo posted on 12/5. Photo: Defense Express

Russia is deploying mobile air defense units to intercept enemy drones, posing increasing challenges for Ukraine's long-range attacks. The rocket-equipped FP-1/FP-2 variant is seen as a countermeasure against these units, though its deployment scale remains unclear. "The emergence of rocket-carrying FP-1/FP-2 drones will force Russia to exercise greater caution and enhance protection for its mobile air defense units," Defense Express stated. "Such attacks are likely to become more frequent and larger in scale, as mobile units are a crucial part of Russia's defense network against long-range and medium-range drones."

This is not the first instance of weaponized suicide drones appearing on the Ukrainian battlefield. Late last year, the Russian military deployed Geran-2 drones equipped with R-60M air-to-air missiles from fighter jets or shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, aiming to threaten enemy intercept forces. Missile-equipped Geran-2 drones reportedly shot down at least three Ukrainian aircraft: one heavy Su-27 fighter jet and two Mi-24 attack helicopters, resulting in several military casualties.

Pham Giang (According to Defense Express, Ukrainska Pravda)