Since April 2022, and particularly during May, June and July, several armed militias operating in Kayin State, in southeastern Myanmar, have been documenting their use of drones modified to carry a heavy explosive payload consisting of one or more rounds to attack military forces and bases in the region. The presented commercial multirotor UAV platforms constituted significantly larger platforms compared to the small RC COTS UAVs that have constituted the majority of armed drones used by militias in the west and northwest of the country thus far. The documented ammunition, either fully improvised or based on standard rounds, each weighed several kilograms, and some of them comprised several smaller rounds loaded on one drone. These large armed drones represent the most advanced aerial combat platforms in use by armed militias in the country today. The militias who acquired large, readily-available commercial platforms with optimal features for modification for use in combat roles can select from a variety of different potential payloads, and select the most effective for the mission at hand, significantly increasing the threat to security forces in their areas of activity.
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