On January 2, 2022, a coalition of three armed groups operating in Sagaing Region, in northwestern Myanmar, released a video showing attacks against positions and convoys of Myanmar Army vehicles, carried out using a drone modified to release an explosive payload.
The video was shot mostly from the camera installed on the UAV, and showed six different assaults with six improvised bomblets in blue PVC casings fitted with impact fuses.
Another model of bomblet was documented in an attack by an armed quadcopter several days earlier by a militia operating in Kayah State, in eastern Myanmar; two additional models of armed drones and improvised bomblets were documented in use by two other groups.
In total, to date, five armed groups in four different areas of Myanmar are known to possess armed drones that drop bomblets, whether manufactured from scratch by the groups or based on standard ammunition, such as rifle grenades.
The use of drones for the observation and surveillance of government forces by militant groups has been reported in the country for several months, and although allegations of attempts to arm the drones have surfaced several times, conclusive evidence of the completion of improvised bomblets was received only last November. At this time, the extent and effect of the damage caused by the bomblets is still limited, without ascribing the potential propagandist and conscious awareness effect associated with such documentation.
However, we estimate that in this area too, the capabilities of the armed groups in Myanmar are expected to expand and develop rapidly in the near future.
Get the full report
If you would like to get the full report, leave your details in the form below.
