The AFU Began Using New French Missiles Against Drones

The system is designed to combat Russian Shahed drones.

Ukraine has started using new anti-drone missiles by Thales. The 70-millimeter guided missile is equipped with a special FZ123 warhead that creates a cloud of thousands of steel balls in the air, capable of destroying several drones simultaneously, writes TWZ (translated by Charter97.org).

The system is designed to combat Russian Shahed drones and can hit targets at an altitude of up to three kilometers. The missiles are launched both from the air - from helicopters adapted to NATO standards - and from the ground, using VAMPIRE systems mounted on Humvee.

Production is carried out at the Thales factory in the Belgian town of Erstal. According to the company, the warhead contains about a kilogram of explosives, which, when detonated, creates a deadly cloud with a radius of up to 25 meters. Unlike conventional missiles, the new model is equipped with laser guidance and proximity sensors.

Thales plans to produce 3,500 FZ123 missiles by the end of the year and increase production to 10,000 per year by 2026. The cost of one missile is estimated at about 15,000-20,000 dollars - much cheaper than Sidewinder or AMRAAM class guided missiles.

Interest in the system is also being shown by other NATO countries, especially after the increasing incidents of Russian drones infiltrating the airspace of Poland, Denmark and Norway.

According to Thales representatives, Ukraine has already requested additional deliveries of new anti-drone missiles.

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