Giving Drones Longer Legs

The R18 drones developed and operated by the Aerorozvidka volunteers in 2022 to deliver a heavier bombload than was possible with commercial drones. They carried around 11 pounds of bombs out to a range of three miles. This meant that crews had to go out on quad bikes and get close to Russian units before launching their drone. The R-18s were typically armed with repurposed RPG-7 anti-tank rocket warheads.

These daring missions were effective. The bombs were easily able to punch through thin top armor, and the bombers were credited with destroying dozens of armored vehicles over the course of a few weeks.

The R18 was succeeded by drone’s like Reactive’s Kazhan (“Bat”) series, as well as Vampire, Heavy Shot and others from a variety of developers. Kazhan was first seen in late 2022 and produced at scale from 2024. Russian soldiers soon developed an almost superstitious fear of these drones which were nicknamed after Baba Yaga, a fearsome, child-eating witch in Slavic folklore who flies at night.

“Our platform Kazhan is widely regarded as the first drone in this heavy bomber class that earned the “Baba Yaga” reputation,” says Kolesnyk.

The Kazhans have a bombing range of 6 – 15 miles depending on the payload. For one-way missions against valuable targets, that range can be doubled. One factor in the increase is superior batteries, which can operate even in the depths of winter.

“Reactive Drone has self-developed Li-Po solid state batteries with auto-heating system, which is unique in Ukraine as well as worldwide,” says Kolesnyk. “We have also started our own production of advanced batteries in our factory in Poland.”

The improvement is in the radio control range. Kazhan can operate with three different communication channels simultaneously: a dual-band, encrypted digital radio, a Starlink terminal, plus and LTE connectivity over the cellphone network. Starlink may look sufficient on its own, but redundancy is essential.

“Starlink is highly effective because it is not constrained by distance, terrain, or radio horizons,” says Kolesnyk However, its performance can be affected by adverse weather conditions or disruptions in satellite availability. In addition, the horizontal mounting of Starlink hardware can reduce the aerodynamic efficiency and speed of multirotor drones, and its resistance to jamming is moderate rather than absolute.”

There is also tacit understanding that Starlink only operates at the will of its U.S. owners, who abruptly blocked use by Russian forces earlier this year, so reliance on one system is dangerous. The three communications links run in parallel, giving multiple independent channels which are seamlessly connected so the operator gets continuous connection, whatever happens on in the airwaves.

Weapons Of Choice

A Kazhan can carry far greater bombload than earlier drones, up to about 70 pounds, with munitions selected depending on the mission

“For example, it can deploy configurations such as four 4 kg [9-pound] munitions capable of disabling tanks, or two 7–10 kg [15-22 pound] anti-personnel charges with an effective lethal radius of approximately 50 metres. Alternatively, a single 30 kg [66 pound] payload can be used to destroy a bunker,” says Kolesnyk.

That bombload is also used more efficiently. In 2022, operators would drop the first bomb, see where it landed, then adjust aim, drop another bomb, and if that missed adjust again, “walking” the bomb on to the target, as there was no better way of aiming.

“Today, that is no longer the norm,” says Kolesnyk. “Modern heavy UAV platforms like Kazhan operate as precision strike systems. The drone is equipped with a system that assists the operator in locking onto a target, tracking it, and automatically determining its coordinates using integrated AI.”

Essentially, the operator puts crosshairs on the target and presses a button; and the drone will track the target, make corrections for speed, altitude and windage, and release a bomb at exactly the right moment. Bomber drones are now capable of hitting high-speed fleeing targets with the first drop.

Kolesnyk says a single pass with one munition is usually sufficient, though an operator may still use several bombs on one target, for example when hitting area targets like dispersed infantry, or when a fortified bunker needs multiple bombs to penetrate.

The actual munitions are in many cases still those that were being used in 2022. They are typically repurposed Soviet munitions adapted for drone use, including mortar bombs, anti-tank mines and cluster bomblets. This makes them extremely low-cost “precision unguided” weapons; an old 82mm mortar bomb costs around $30, a TM-62 anti-tank mine $600. Kolesnyk says this makes the bombers more cost effective even than FPVs.

While Western forces might want more sophisticated weapons, this is likely to push prices way up. Even cheap guided rockets like APKWS cost tens of thousands each, which makes little sense for a low-cost platform.

Defensive Measures

In 2022 the Russians were almost helpless against night-flying drone bombers. Now they have an array of measures, including interceptor FPVs, mobile fire groups and radio-frequency jammers protecting them. Sometimes bombers haver to fly against heavy defenses.

“The platform becomes particularly vulnerable during massed engagements, where dozens of FPV drones and multiple ground operators may target a single aircraft simultaneously,” says Kolesnyk.

Russia increasingly fields a lot of shoulder-launched interceptors like the Yolka. But Kazhan is surprisingly robust. Small arms fire has little effect and a single FPV, even one with a high-explosive warhead, may not bring one down.

“There have been multiple cases where the platform has successfully survived and returned,” says Kolesnyk. “Even after sustaining damage - such as losing one or even two motors in a hexacopter configuration - the drone can remain operational. This resilience is largely due to the stability and fault tolerance of the Reactive Drone’s flight control system.”

The smart flight control system automatically detects damage and compensates for it, so the drone can fly even with two out of six engines destroyed. With no fuel tanks or lines, and decentralized propulsion, Kazhan can take a lot of punishment.

On the electronic warfare front, systems are frequently updated to deal with the changing threat. Constant vigilance keeps Kazhan highly survivable.

“Kazhan’s technological advantages allow it to operate in environments where FPV drones cannot, including contested electronic warfare conditions,” says Lolesnyk.

Much of the success relies on operators who can work together and understand how to recognize and respond to threats, both physical and electronic.

“Effective deployment depends on trained operators who understand tactics, coordination, and communication across military units and weapon systems,” says Kolesnyk.

But some casualties are expected. These drones are low-cost, attritable systems. Each bomber typically survives around 100 flights, so replacements are frequent and expected. But the cost per mission is still rock bottom.

From Ukraine To The World

A Kazhan bomber currently costs $20k - $40k depending on the specific configuration, making it absurdly cheap by Western standards. The U.S. pays as much for some small FPVs; and you could buy about 1,000 Kazhan for the price of one MQ-9 Reaper.

The drones are also multipurpose. The same drones that drop bombs or lay mines by night may be busy by day making logistics runs to the front line. Kolesnyk says they tend to operate over a 24-hour cycle. They are a key element in a new type of drone-dominated warfare, one which the west has yet to learn. Nobody in NATO, including the US, currently fields anything like Kazhan.

Interestingly, quadcopter bombers are one drone innovation which Russia has been unable to match. While many Russian firms have demonstrated bomber drones over the years, none seems to have gone into large-scale production yet. The Russians even operate a number of captured Ukrainian drones which shows how highly this type is prized.

This technology from Ukraine is an opportunity for the West.

“Ukraine’s battlefield innovations are now testing whether the U.S. industrial base can adapt in real time to a new model of cost-effective, high-impact aerial operations,” says Kolesnyk. “For Western defence actors, the challenge is not discovering entirely new technologies, but adapting force structures and procurement models quickly enough to integrate these lessons,”

Ukraine has already learned how to build and apply drone bombers, with under the accelerated conditions of wartime. Companies like Reactive Drone can help Western nations so they do not reinvent the wheel. Meanwhile the Ukrainians are working on the next generation.

“The industry’s focus is shifting toward specific areas of innovation, including enhanced resistance to electronic warfare, greater autonomy, and the integration of more advanced systems,” says Kolesnyk.

Kolesnyk says that control will still remain firmly in the hands of the operator even as the drones get more autonomous. But the drones themselves will progressively become more capable and better at destroying targets that previously required strikes by crewed aircraft.