Kill Mechanism: Explosively Formed Projectile

FPVs are typically armed with amor-piercing shaped charges, typically repurposed RPG warheads, or fragmentation warheads. Both of these detonate on impact, the warhead in the video looks like something different. It is detonated around 20 meters from the targets, with a projectile leaving a trail of smoke from the point of the explosion to the impact point.

This is characteristic of an Explosively Formed Projectile or EFP. In a typical shaped charge, the blast from a hollow cone of explosive lines with metal converts the metal liner into a high-speed armor-piercing jet. In an EFP, a heavier metal liner is converted into an aerodynamic slug.

EPPs are less efficient at punching holes in armor, but have a greater range, While a typical shaped charge needs to be set off within a meter of the target. EPFs have ranges of tens or even hundreds of meters.

One of the most commonly seen EFP in the current conflict is the BONUS 155mm artillery round used by Ukraine, made by Bofors of Sweden and Nexter of France and supplied to Ukraine. The round ejects two submunitions above the target area which scan for targets and , if they locate one, aim and detonate firing an EFP at it. A video from July 2022 shows a BONUS round destroying a Russian tank. Some small anti-tank mines also fire EFPs.

Drones with EFP warheads are an obvious countermeasure to netting, wire cages and other forms of protection including “turtle tanks” as the drone can attack from some distance and the slug will go right through such protection. However, this type of warhead needs to be aimed and detonated at the right moment which requires a higher level of operator skill.

Using EFP as an antipersonnel round is more challenging. Ukraine has previously used FPVs with Claymore type warheads spraying shrapnel forward over a wide arc. These are not widely seen, possibly because of the skill needed to use them properly. As well as being detonated at the right distance an EFP needs to be aimed even more exactly, or it is useless. That’s a tall order, unless the operator has some AI assistance.

AI Headhunting

Back in the innocent days of 2018, YouTuber Michael Reeves made a funny video about his efforts to create a swarm of quadcopters to home in on a target’s face. Facial detection software ensures that cameras focus on the right point in an image. Reeves had the idea of combining face detection software with a simple autopilot to make a bargain-basement autonomous attack drone which sought out and crashed into heads. After a few false starts he succeeded, and his video racked up millions of views.

Fast forward to 2026 and similar quadcopters are everywhere in Ukraine. Many now have AI capability, thanks to companies like Auterion and The Fourth Law, who produced add-on modules which will convert any small drone into a smart munition with terminal guidance to lock on to a target and pursue it. So far, these autonomy systems have been used to improve the hit rate against vehicles, by allowing them to operate even under intense jamming which breaks the link with the operator. Some makers claim that AI-enabled FPVs have around an 80% hit rate instead of 40% for manual control. A basic FPV with a TFL-1 autonomy module costs just $442, similar to other FPVs. Some simple AI targeting systems use even lower-cost hardware down to the $100 Raspberry Pi Zero.

One of Ukraine’s biggest priorities is targeting Russian foot soldiers. Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces commander, has bluntly stated on many occasions that a prime goal is taking out Russians faster than they can be recruited, more than 30,000 a month. His figures suggest that Ukrainian drones are now achieving this.

Drone kills have recently increased sharply. Some of this might be driven by deployment of new anti-personnel drones are locked on to a target and complete the killing process themselves.

“The enemy has begun using upgraded tactical drones with combat artificial intelligence. There are signs of facial targeting and a corresponding heat signature loaded into the drones' brains,” stated a post on the Russian Telegram channel Ruspanorama accompanying the video

FPVs which rely on impact can be dodged, and Russians frequently throw helmets, rifles and other objects at drones in last-ditch attempt to survive. Shotguns can provide short-range protection. Drones armed with EFPs which they can launch accurately will be deadlier and harder to avoid.

Enter The Slaughterbots

We do not know whether the Russian claims are accurate, and whether the drones are using AI guidance or are in fact operator controlled. Nor do we know their hit rate compared to standard FPVs.

We do not even know for sure that they really aim for the head. Firearms training invariably emphasizes aiming at the center of mass in middle of the chest which gives a much better chance of a hit. Only snipers go for head shots, and the only video example we have of an apparent head-hunting drone attack may have been a case of chance rather than aim.

But clearly these drones are causing some concern, and the Russians will doubtless experiment with countermeasures. Would a mask prevent the drone from finding a target? How about a dummy head? If you curl up into a ball so your head cannot be seen, will the drone still target you? If you flatten yourself against a tree or wall and remain perfectly still, will it be able to track you? Reinforced helmets and armor will be be useless as even a small EFP will go through an inch of steel with ease.

Perhaps the most eerie aspect of the new drone is how it was foreshadowed in the 2017 dark SF video Slaughterbots created by computer science professor Stuart Russell, as a warning against autonomous killer robots. In the video, a U.S. tech CEO shows off drones with facial recognition and head-seeking shaped charges. Developed to find and target terrorist leaders, the technology is soon copied by terrorists and swarms of low-cost Slaughterbots are loosed to seek out and kill civilians, a low-cost weapon of mass destruction.

The Ukrainian drones are certainly not fully autonomous, and are not being used against civilians. But if you need to know how rapidly technology has advanced, 2017s science fiction warning is 2026’s terrifying reality--for the Russians.