American AFU volunteer Ryan O’Leary reports issues with drone munitions
Drone Industry
American volunteer Ryan O’Leary, who serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has drawn attention to the problem of munitions for drones.
He wrote this on the social media platform X, Censor.NET quotes.
The problem of munition effectiveness and production
According to him, the amount of explosive material, whether TNT or an RDX/HMX-based equivalent, that is wasted due to the overloading of improvised drone munitions is costing Ukraine an extremely high price. If the difference in effectiveness between improvised munitions and high-quality, standardized products with proper quality control is added to this, the losses become even greater.
"I know of at least two companies that produce fully assembled, military-grade drone munitions with standardized manufacturing and rigorous quality control. The problem is that they need more funding to scale up production, simpler and faster approval procedures for new manufacturers looking to enter this sector, and less excessive administrative oversight from Ukrainian state institutions," he added.
Ryan O’Leary also noted that Ukraine should provide maximum support to manufacturers producing munition bodies without explosives. This would speed up the transition from improvised "pipe bomb"-type drone munitions to modern standardized designs with significantly higher effectiveness.
Shortening the kill chain is not only about detecting and striking targets faster. It is also about reducing the number of munitions needed to destroy a single target. Improving munition design and ensuring consistent quality directly contribute to achieving this goal, which is why this area has been seriously underestimated, he said.
Finally, according to Ryan O’Leary, Ukraine should seriously consider developing its own RDX/HMX production. As Europe rapidly expands its defence-industrial capacity, demand for high-energy explosives such as RDX and HMX will only grow.
"Ukraine has all the prerequisites to become a competitive producer and supplier for the European defence-industrial base. Every time a drone is ordered and supplied, whether it is an FPV drone or a fixed-wing drone, the appropriate munition should be supplied with it. Whether it is a shaped-charge, fragmentation, or another type of munition, it should be included in the kit," he added.
