One notable aspect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, especially in the post-2023 phase, is the reliance on UAVs for strike capabilities at a scale never seen before and largely unanticipated. Hundreds of new drone platforms have emerged, ranging from bomber type UAVs that release munitions from the air to single use kamikaze drones that carry their explosive payload directly into the target.
While drones themselves can be produced in large numbers thanks to the import of foreign electronic components, both sides have faced a critical bottleneck at the heart of these systems: the warhead. In the early stages, nearly all munitions used on drones were improvised. These included modified 30mm VOG-17 grenades with their fuze safety mechanisms removed for use on bomber UAVs, RPG-7 anti-tank rockets adapted with electric detonators, and grenade impact fuzes slapped onto random ordnance. This was largely due to a lack of purpose-built alternatives. Only a handful of dedicated munitions existed at the time, such as the factory-modified RKG-1600, which Ukraine had already been using in Donbas since 2021.
Recycling and modifying existing ordnance creates two major problems. First, it often results in reduced performance because these munitions were not designed for aerial delivery. A prime example is the widely used RPG-7 anti-tank rocket. When the original fusing system is bypassed and an explosive charge is added to the rear with an electronic detonator, it can lead to poor initiation of the shaped charge, producing a messier jet formation and reducing armor penetration. Similarly, fragmentation munitions designed for specific launch angles or trajectories, such as shells or bomblets, often deliver underwhelming results when dropped from drones and detonating nearly parallel to the ground.
The second and arguably more critical issue is operator safety. Modifying old ordnance, removing safety mechanisms, and recycling explosives into workshop-made munitions carries serious risks, especially at such a massive scale, where many operators are learning by doing. These practices have already caused numerous injuries and fatalities and will likely continue to do so.
As the demand for factory-made drone warheads and munitions grows exponentially, supply is struggling to keep pace. This article focuses on the Russian side of this development, as the Russian and Ukrainian approaches differ significantly and warrant separate treatment.
Russia’s journey toward standardized drone munitions began in 2022 with the introduction of the OFSP family of drone bomblets by NPO Pribor. These were primarily designed for bomber-style UAVs dropping munitions from altitude. Most models featured at first an A133 fuze that arms after a 250-meter drop,which is quite a massive height to drop light bombs accurately. This choice was explained by the fact they were introduced for the use on Orlan-10 UAV, repurposed as an ad-hoc bomber, with very poor result. The B133 variant of the fuze, with a greatly diminished drop requirement to arm, fully replaced A133 later on. NPO Pribor has since become one of the main producers of purpose-built drone munitions for the Russian army. While not always the most advanced, their products show notable innovation in certain areas.
In this war, the multipurpose nature of many drone warheads has proven to be one of their greatest strengths. As heavily armored vehicles have become rarer, the priority has shifted from pure armor penetration to inflicting maximum overall damage on lighter platforms. NPO Pribor has addressed this with its Cumulative Incendiary warheads (KZSP-0.5 and KOZBCh-1.8), which combine a traditional shaped charge liner with reactive metal that follows the jet, generating intense thermal effects. This significantly increases damage against both armored and soft-skinned vehicles.
This focus on enhancing incendiary effects is not limited to NPO Pribor. NPO Bazalt has pursued similar goals with the KOFZBCh-5 and KOFZBCh-3, also incorporating reactive metals. It appears to be a widespread priority in Russian UAV warhead design.
An aspect that has gained increasing importance as the war drags on is manufacturing commonality, the practice of sharing as many parts and production processes as possible with already existing items. This approach improves scalability and reduces costs. A clear example is NPO Bazalt’s decision to adapt pre-existing rocket launcher warhead designs for drone use, as detailed in a recently published patent. The patent states that warheads based on the PG-7R main charge, MRO-A, and PG-26 are already mass-produced and supplied to the troops. While my research has yet to uncover confirmed evidence of the PG-26 being used in this role, the first two have been observed in limited numbers under the name of KBCh-3 and TBBCh2.5, though they remain quite uncommon.
Another area where NPO Pribor has shown noteworthy progress is in warheads for interceptor drones, a segment whose importance has grown exponentially in recent years. The introduction in late 2024 of the OFBCh-0.8 warhead with a directed fragmentation effect and a remote-detonated A-795/B-795 fuze represented a step toward a more sophisticated interception doctrine. OFBCh-0.8 coupled forward effect via the use of steel and radial effect via fragmentation rings. This design was later refined in the OFBCh-0.4, which removed the lateral fragmentation rings and focused the effect purely forward.
It is worth noting that while new specialized designs receive attention, the majority of warheads produced remain deliberately simple. The OFSP and OFBCh-2/3/4 series, for instance, consist of little more than thick steel pipes with fragmentation rings, filled with whatever explosive is available and affordable. They do not excel in raw performance, but they offer the critical advantages of availability and relative safety in mass production.
Now let’s take a look at the meat of the article: the list and reference pictures of a sizeable portion of the russian purpose made UAV warheads.
High explosive fragmentation:
OFBCh-2
ОФБЧ-2
Warhead type: High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight class: 2kg
Explosive mass: 1kg
Fragmentation: Lateral fragmentation rings
Filler: PVV-7 (RDX/Aluminium/Binder 71/17/12), TA-23 (TNT/Aluminium 77/23), TNT
Combat use: First spotted in use in the middle of 2024
OFBCh-3
ОФБЧ-3
Warhead type: High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight class: 3kg
Explosive mass: 1.7kg
Fragmentation: Lateral fragmentation rings
Filler: PT-50 (PETN/TNT 50/50), TOL-50 (HMX/TNT 50/50), TM-T (RDX/TNT/Aluminum 40/40/20), TA-23 (TNT/aluminum 77/23)
Combat use: First spotted in use in early 2024
Noteworthy detail: It is often seen cut in half by Russian serviceman, in order to create lighter weight warhead to employ on smaller frames.
ОФБЧ-4
OFBCh-4
Warhead type: High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight: 4kg
Fragmentation:Lateral fragmentation rings
Filler: TA-23 (TNT/Aluminum 77/23)
Combat use: First mentionned late 2025 in Russian chats, first seen early 2026
OFBCh-2,5
ОФБЧ-2.5
Warhead type:High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight: 3kg or 3.75kg depending on variant
Fragmentation: Steel sphere fragmentation matrix
Filler: OKFOL (95% HMX)
Combat use: First seen in late 2023 with a 3kg variant. Then late 2025 with heavier variant
Noteworthy detail: Despite retaining the same name, several size of OFBCh-2,5 are made, with different weights and volume.
OFBCh-1,7
ОФБЧ-1.7
Warhead type: High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight class:1,7kg
Fragmentation:Lateral fragmentation rings
Filler: TA-20
Combat use: First seen in early 2026
Directed fragmentation:
OFBCh-0,8
ОФБЧ-0.8
Warhead type: High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight class:0,8kg
Explosive mass: 0.2kg
Fragmentation: Lateral fragmentation rings + front facing steel spheres
Combat use: First seen late 2024
Noteworthy detail: This warhead employs forward facing fragmentation effects via steel spheres in the end cap as a mean of intercepting air targets.
OFBCh-0,5
ОФБЧ-0.5
Warhead type: High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight class: 0,5kg
Fragmentation: Lateral fragmentation rings + front facing steel spheres
Combat use:First seen in early 2026
Noteworthy detail: this is a downsized OFBCh-0,8
OFBCh-0,4
ОФБЧ-0.4
Warhead type: High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight class: 0,4kg
Fragmentation: front facing steel spheres
Combat use: First seen in early 2026
Noteworthy detail: This is an OFBCh-0,5 with the fragmentation rings removed and slightly shortened, saving weight and retaining the forward fragmentation effect wanted for to intercept UAVs
Drop bomblets;
OFSP-0,5
ОФСП-0.5
Warhead type: High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight class:0,5kg
Explosive mass:0.074kg
Diameter:48mm
Fragmentation:Lateral fragmentation rings
Filler: A-IX-2
Combat use: First used in early 2022
Note: It should be noted for the whole OFSP family that the mention of A-IX-2 dates back to 2023, since then we saw on most russian shells a tendency to replace A-IX-2 with cheaper explosives, usualy using TNT like TA-20, PT-50 or TG-40. It is likely than more recent produced OFSPs use different explosives but the absence of explosive composition on the marking makes finding information on the composition used a lot more difficult.
OFSP-0,8
ОФСП-0.8
Warhead type: High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight class:0,8kg
Explosive mass:0.145kg
Diameter:48mm
Fragmentation:Lateral fragmentation rings
Filler: A-IX-2
Combat use: First used in early 2022
OFSP-1,7
ОФСП-1.7
Warhead type: High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight class:1,7kg
Explosive mass:0.4kg
Diameter:55mm
Fragmentation: Lateral fragmentation rings
Filler: A-IX-2
OFSP-2,5
ОФСП-2.5
Warhead type: High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight class: 2,5kg
Explosive mass: 0.6kg
Diameter:60mm
Fragmentation: Lateral fragmentation rings
Filler: A-IX-2
KZSP-0.5
КЗСП-0.5
Warhead type: Cumulative Incendiary
Weight class:0,5kg
Explosive mass: 0.1kg
Diameter:48mm
Shaped charge type: Copper conical liner
Noteworthy details: The KZSP gains its incendiary denomination from the use of a reactive metal “Ni-Al-Ti-B” on its shaped charge liner, greatly increasing the thermal output of the jet.
(source for the 2nd picture : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT6U7sg2-14)
Shaped charges:
KOFZBCh-5
КОФЗБЧ-5
warhead type: Cumulative Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary
weight class :5kg
Diameter: 98mm
Shaped charge type: copper EFP
Fragmentation: Scored steel walls producing ~1,5g fragments
Filler: OLA-8T (77% HMX, 8% aluminium, 15% LD-70 binder)
Combat use: First revealed in late 2025, first appearance in early 2026
Noteworthy detail: The warhead employs reactive metal inserts in the shape of cylinders within the main charge and a checker shaped element on the outer side of the EFP. The reactive particles will combust at temperature between 1500 and 3000°C, greatly enhancing the incendiary effect of the warhead.
source for the 2nd 3rd and 4th pictures : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZCa03ZKHvI
KOFZBCh-3
КОФЗБЧ-3
Warhead type: Cumulative Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary
Weight class:3kg
Diameter: 98mm
Shaped charge liner type: Copper EFP
Fragmentation: Spiral scored steel walls
Filler: OLA-15T (HMX + 15% aluminium + LD-70 binder)
Combat use: first appeared early 2025
Noteworthy detail: It uses a checker shaped insert of reactive metal on the center of the EFP outer side just like KOFZBCh-5, it is meant to provide greatly increased incendiary effect on target.
KOFZBCh-3F
КОФЗБЧ-3Ф
Warhead type: Cumulative Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary
Weight class: 3kg
Diameter: 98mm
Shaped charge type: Copper EFP
Fragmentation: square scored steel walls
Filler: PT-50 (PETN/TNT 50/50)
Combat use: mentioned to be in inventory list in mid 2024, first seen in use early 2026
Noteworthy detail: It seemingly is a simplification of KOFZBCh-3, using more affordable explosive composition, a thinner EFP liner (likely to compensate with weaker explosive) and removes the reactive metal insert present on the liner on the original model. As of writing this, I do not know if there is still an incendiary effect within the warhead or if the Z of its name is just a remnant of previous model before simplification.
Source for the 2nd and 3rd pictures : https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=3u1cHuUUT32JreCF&v=LX2qoI78HnU&feature=youtu.be
KOTBCh-5
КОТБЧ-5
Warhead type: Cumulative Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary
Weight class: ~5kg
Shaped charge type: Copper conical liner
Fragmentation: lateral fragmentation rings
Filler: TG-40 (TNT/RDX 40/60) + OKFOL-3.5 (96,5% HMX)
Combat use: first spotted in late 2025
Noteworthy details: The warhead employs a lump of reactive metal as a shaped charge lens which will greatly increase the forward incendiary potential but it remains debated why it didn’t use the letter Z to explain this incendiary effect like other munitions of this list.
Source for te 5th picture : https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=AfEbmOuSQxKQAtOi&v=rc_eCpzvmRs&feature=youtu.be
KBCh-3
Warhead type: Cumulative
Weight class: 3kg
Shaped charge type: Copper conical liner
Filler: OKFOL
Combat use: First appeared in september 2025.
Noteworthy detail: The KBCh-3 is based on the PG-7R rocket warhead main charge, being adapted for standardised fuze to be used on UAVs.
KBCh-4,5
Warhead type: Cumulative
Weight: 4,5kg
Shaped charge type: Conical liner
Filler: unknown but very likely HMX based
Combat use: first seen in late 2025
Noteworthy detail: Information about this warhead remains really scarce, mention of ATAKA-M on the marking could indicate some link between the ATGM and the KBCh-4,5, but it’s yet to have a definitive answer.
KOZBCh-1.8
КОЗБЧ-1.8
Warhead type: Cumulative Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary
Weight class:1,8kg
Shaped charge liner type: Copper conical liner
Fragmentation: Lateral fragmentation rings
Combat use: appeared in the middle of 2025
Noteworthy details: KOZBCh-1,8 owns its incendiary classification from the use of Ni-Al-Ti-B reactive metal, being part of the shaped charge liner and used as a lens, both those inserts will increase the incendiary potential of the warhead. It also can be noted that the warhead uses a large cylinder to act as a standoff probe.
S-8 KOM
Warhead type: Cumulative High Explosive Fragmentation
Weight class:2kg
Shaped charge liner type: Conical liner
Filler:A-IX-1 (RDX/Phlegmatizer 95/5)
Explosive mass:0.8kg
Combat use: First appeared in spring 2025
Noteworthy detail: This is based on the aviation rocket S-8KOM, adapted for easier use with drones and removing the fragmentation rings insert. Other notable aspect is that you can sometime encounter this exact warhead with marking reading KOBE-80, which is also the name of a completely different warhead.
KOBE-80
Warhead type: Cumulative
Shaped charge liner type: Copper conical liner
Weight: 2.5kg
Filler: OMA(97,5% HMX) , OKFOL-3,5 (96,5% HMX)
Combat use: revealed in late 2025
Noteworthy detail: This warhead can also be seen bearing markings indicating S-8KOM while it and the warhead previously mentioned do not share any resemblance.
source for the 3rd picture : https://t.me/LandminesAndCoffee
KOBE-3M
Warhead Type: Cumulative
Shaped charge liner type: Copper conical liner
Weight class: 0.5kg
Filler: OMA(97,5% HMX) , OKFOL-3,5 (96,5% HMX)
Combat use: revealed in late 2025
“Drop”
“Капля”
Warhead type: Cumulative
Shaped charge liner type: Copper EFP
Weight class: 2.3kg
Combat use: first seen in 2024
Thermobaric:
TBBCh-2,5
Warhead type: Thermobaric warhead
Weight class: 2,5kg
Filler: OM-100MI-3L
Combat use: First seen in use in autumn 2025
Noteworthy detail: TBBCh-2,5 is the warhead of the Thermobaric launcher MRO-A, here adapted and purpose made to be used on UAVs.
TB-80
Warhead type: Thermobaric
Weight class: 2,5kg
Filler: GAI-50 (IPN/RDX/Aluminium/Cab-o-sil 53/23/14,5/3,5)
Combat use: First appeared in the spring of 2026
TBBCh
ТББЧ
Warhead type: Thermobaric
Weight class: 4kg
Combat use: First seen early 2026
TBB-2
Warhead type: Thermobaric Fragmentation
Weight class: 2kg
Fragmentation: Steel sphere matrix
Filler: HMX based explosive + Aluminised explosive
Combat use: First appeared in mid 2025
TBB-3
Warhead type: Thermobaric Fragmentation
Weight class: 3kg
Fragmentation: Steel sphere matrix
Filler: HMX based explosive + Aluminised explosive
Combat use: First appeared in early 2025
Noteworthy detail: Heavier version of TBB-2
TBB-4S
Warhead type: Thermobaric Fragmentation
Weight class: 4kg
Fragmentation: Steel sphere matrix
Filler: HMX based explosive + Aluminised explosive
Combat use: First appeared in late 2025
Noteworthy detail: Heavier version of TBB-2/TBB-3
TB BCh-5
Warhead type: Thermobaric Fragmentation
Weight class: 5kg
Fragmentation: Steel sphere matrix
Filler: HMX based explosive + Aluminised explosive
Combat use: First appeared in august 2025
Incendiary:
DZB-2
Warhead Type: Incendiary
Weight class: 2kg
Combat use: first appeared late 2025
Noteworthy detail: Incendiary variant based upon TBB-2
