Military observer hails Ukrainian 250-kg bomb drones as 'next millennium'
Military observer Vasyl Pekhnyo shared insights on Radio NV on Feb. 1 about what he calls “unique Ukrainian drones” capable of carrying 250-kilogram aerial bombs.
“Just think about how advanced and far-reaching this is,” Pekhnio said, stressing that Ukrainian unmanned systems are demonstrating “the warfare of the next millennium.”
According to Pekhnyo, Ukrainian forces constantly face Russian KAB bombs, which inflict heavy losses on the front lines: “Russia’s aviation uses guided bombs that erase our positions to zero. But to launch these KABs, they have to fly 30, 40, 50, or sometimes 70 kilometers closer to the front line, risking multimillion-dollar jets and pilots’ lives.”
In contrast, Pekhnyo pointed out that Ukrainian drone forces now deploy “an aircraft, a drone, not piloted by a human,” estimated to cost around $300,000—far less than the millions invested in manned jets—and built for repeated use. “Despite being quite large, it crosses the combat zone without getting spotted or shot down by the enemy’s air defenses. I have no idea how our drone forces pull that off, but it’s incredible,” he said. “It doesn’t risk any human life, yet it can drop KABs.”
He called this innovation “warfare of the next millennium,” and highlighted that these 250-kilogram bombs have a warhead of roughly 100 kilograms. “They’re already powerful bombs,” he said, adding that initially, he thought only kamikaze drones could carry such large payloads. “But it turns out these are reusable drones. They drop a bomb and come back.”
Pekhnyo further explained that the drones can carry multiple munitions, including two 120-millimeter mortar rounds: “We’re talking about two mortar rounds plus a 250-kilogram FAB bomb all on one drone. No pilot’s life is on the line. That’s the direction we need to go.”
Public data suggests that these drones may be the E-300 Enterprise, a Ukrainian long-range UAV capable of hauling around 300 kilograms of cargo. “It was originally a transport or agricultural drone, developed before the full-scale invasion, possibly to deliver packages. Now it’s able to deliver 250-kilogram ‘gifts’ to the occupiers,” he said.
Pekhnyo noted the Ukrainian military has been testing this technology since around April of last year, citing numerous Russian social media posts about drones crashing in open fields. “We’ve been honing this system for a while,” he said. “And now we’re seeing publicly confirmed successful strikes. It’s officially confirmed by the Command of the Drone Forces.”
He also drew attention to how far Ukrainian drone capabilities have come in just two years of all-out war: “In early 2023, our drones were cautiously flying near Moscow, sometimes crashing, and the Russians scoffed, calling them nothing but ‘mosquito drones.’ They said these drones could only break windows. But even with a weaker economy, our engineering has evolved from window-breaking drones to drones destroying oil refineries and carrying 250-kilogram bombs. That’s a massive leap forward.”
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