Ukraine has authorized the serial production of Fireflya guidance kit developed in the country to convert bombs dropped from heavy drones in precision munitions. The system has already been tested with some of the main bomber drones used by the Ukrainian forces and is intended to attack trenches, dug-out shelters and other Russian fortifications from a height of up to 800 metersas reported by Forbes.
The announced price of 240 dollars, about 210 euros, does not correspond to the complete pump. That amount covers only the guidance kit that attaches to an ammunition between 0.9 and 9 kilograms. The explosive body, the fuze and the rest of the elements necessary to complete the weapon are paid for separately.
Images released show a motorless pump that falls due to gravity and modifies its trajectory through several aerodynamic surfaces. The kit, in addition to the fins or aerodynamic surfaces, the inertial sensors, the actuators, the power supply and the coupling mechanism to the pump, includes a flight control system capable of calculating the trajectory after launch and moving the surfaces necessary to correct the course towards the target.
This capability allows compensate for part of the errors caused by wind, drone movement or a launch made before or after the appropriate point. With conventional pumps, the operator must precisely calculate when to release them taking into account the height, the speed of the device and the weather conditions. Firefly transfers much of that work to the ammunition itself.
The manufacturer assures that The impact error is between 0.6 and 2.13 meters. A precision of that level would be sufficient to reach small positions such as the entrance to a shelter, a firing point, or the roof of a covered trench. The data, however, has not been independently verified nor have detailed test results been published.
The exact method of guidance is not known. He Ministry of Defense Ukrainian maintains that Firefly can correct its trajectory and maintain precision in the presence of electronic warfare systemsbut does not clarify whether it uses satellite navigation, laser designation, image recognition or a combination of several technologies.
The main advantage of the system is that reduces the time the drone must remain directly over the target. Multirotor bombers typically drop unguided bombs from a nearly vertical position, forcing them to close in on enemy defenses and sometimes hover while the operator corrects the position. With Firefly, the launch can be done from a greater height and potentially from a displaced position. The drone can begin the retreat while the bomb completes the final approach on its own.
Firefly is designed for heavy drones such as vampire, Kazhan and Nemesiscapable of transporting between 10 and 40 kilograms. Ukraine has not revealed what explosive charges may be used. This is important because a fragmentation bomb can be effective against soldiers in an open trench, while a covered shelter usually requires a direct hit, a sufficient amount of explosive, and a fuze capable of detonating after penetrating the structure. Without a designed penetrating warhead, Firefly cannot be assumed to be able to penetrate thick reinforced concrete fortifications..
Developers estimate that production could reach 10,000 units per month. That rate would be equivalent to about 120,000 a year and would entail an expense of 28.8 million dollars only in guidance kits. To that amount we would have to add the cost of bombs, fuzes, integration equipment, transportation and quality controls.