In recent months, there seems to be an increase in documentation of the operational use of shoulder-fired launchers mounted on FPV drones, mostly by Russian forces in Ukraine. The earliest documented operational use in the war in Ukraine was possibly in June 2023. In August 2023, December 2024 and January 2025, additional evidence was published on Russian Telegram channels. This documentation shows the use of mainly one-shot disposable anti-tank RPG launchers. These launchers are used as a main weapon attached to the FPV drone and are initiated in mid-air by the operator, presumably from the remote controller. Additional recent documentation showed the use of guided missiles and unguided rockets as primary and secondary weapons for various locally made unmanned systems. Battlefield documentation of tube-launched weapons with UAVs remains uncommon, suggesting there are significant disadvantages and questions surrounding it. However, the use of tube-launched weapons with COTS FPV drones is a noteworthy concept that should be taken into consideration in some irregular warfare scenarios outside the battlefield.
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