A catalogue from the Russian company NPO Bazalt was recently shared on a Russian Telegram group chat, detailing the company’s offerings in drone warheads, from FPVs to Gerans, along with their fuzes. Based upon the claimed development phases of known munitions the catalogue was likely produced between 2023 and 2024, though it is not precisely dated. While it provides specifications on several already known models, what is of particular interest here are three munitions that have not yet been observed in use.
OFBCh-1.5
The OFBCh-1.5 is a High Explosive Fragmentation warhead closely resembling the already known OFBCh-2 and OFBCh-3, sharing their 63mm steel body and fragmentation ring design to control fragment size. It differs from its siblings primarily by being shorter and lighter, weighing 1.5kg compared to the 2kg and 3kg of the OFBCh-2 and OFBCh-3 respectively.
If introduced into service in significant numbers, the OFBCh-1.5 would address a recurring problem for Russian drone operators. Due to a shortage of warheads in this weight class, many have resorted to cutting the longer OFBCh-3 in half to create ad hoc “OFBCh-1.5”, a practice that carries serious risks. Numerous accounts of accidents causing deaths and injuries have been shared in Russian user channels.
A secondary issue with this approach, far less critical in comparison, concerns fuze mounting. While one half of the cut munition retains the original mounting solution, the other requires a custom adapter. In practice, this is often not a major obstacle, as many operators already replace the original end caps in favour of alternative fuzing solutions. The UZ and UZ-2 fuzes advertised by Bazalt have a notably poor reputation in Russian user discussion channels.
The catalogue lists the OFBCh-1.5 under the “O” designation, indicating it was in the prototyping phase of development. By contrast, the OFBCh-2 and OFBCh-3 are listed under the earlier “E” designation, yet both have been observed in widespread use by Russian forces since 2024. This discrepancy might suggest that the OFBCh-1.5 was put on hold or cancelled in favour of its larger counterparts.
MBCh-2K
The next previously unknown warhead in the catalogue is the MBCh-2K. The “MBCh” designation derives from многофакторные боевые части, meaning “Multi-Factor Warhead.” It combines a conical shaped charge, steel fragmentation ring walls, and an incendiary effect,likely delivered by the warhead lens, to create a truly multipurpose munition capable of effectively engaging both soft and hard targets. This layout is strongly reminiscent of Bazalt’s larger KOTBCh-5, which has already been observed in use in Ukraine since late 2025.
Usage of incendiary components has become increasingly common in Russian purpose-built drone munitions, as it improves post-penetration effects and broadens a warhead’s versatility. This is evident across NPO Bazalt’s own drone warhead lineup, including the KOFZBCh-3/5 and the KOTBCh-5, as well as in offerings from the other main drone warhead producer, NPP Pribor, with their KOZBCh-1.8 or KZSP-0.5.
At the time of writing, the catalogue states that documentation is being developed for production and prototype testing. It is also worth noting that the name MBCh-2K is likely a temporary designation. Given that the KOFBCh-3 and KOFBCh-5 were previously known as the MBCh-3 and MBCh-5 before entering service, a similar naming convention would suggest the final designation may be something along the lines of “KOFZBCh-2” or “KOTBCh-2.”
MBCh-2U
The MBCh-2U, sharing MBCh but differing in the acronym here meaning “Модульная боевая часть” aka “modular warhead” . Rather than combining multiple effects into a single body, it employs a scalable architecture that allows the operator to configure the warhead with either or both Shaped Charge elements or High Explosive Fragmentation elements attaching sections in a similar manner as SOHG hand grenades. The shaped charge module uses an EFP design, claimed to offer superior performance against Explosive Reactive Armor, while the fragmentation modules follow the familiar single steel tube with fragmentation ring construction.
This modular approach provides considerably greater flexibility for drone operators, as the same munition can be tuned up or down depending on the target, the required effect, or the range of a given strike mission. The catalogue also claims the warhead can be used against aerial targets, most likely in a configuration using a single fragmentation module of 0.5kg.
As with the MBCh-2K, the catalogue states at the time of writing that documentation is being developed for production and prototype testing, suggesting a similarly early stage of development.
The three munitions discussed in this article represent attempts to address recurring needs within Russian drone units: access to multiple warhead sizes to match specific mission requirements, and versatile munitions capable of engaging a wide range of target types, reducing the complexity of managing a large inventory while avoiding the underwhelming effects that come with using an ill-suited warhead.
It should be noted that this catalogue appears to be several years old. While every other munition listed within it has since been pushed into service, this does not guarantee the same fate for these three warheads. They may well have been cancelled along the way.