Ukraine to Co-Produce Anti-Drone Missiles with Thales Belgium

Ukraine has signed a memorandum with Thales Belgium for the joint production of 70-mm FZ275 LGR missiles, equipped with a new warhead designed to counter drones.

This was first reported by Ukrainian media citing Forces Operations Blog.

The FZ123 warhead, presented at the Eurosatory exhibition this summer, contains an explosive charge and several thousand steel balls, providing a solution for shooting down drones like Russia’s Shahed/Geran-2.

With a range of up to 3,000 meters, the FZ275 LGR missiles offer a middle ground between large-caliber machine guns and expensive anti-aircraft missiles, making them an effective tool for the Ukrainian military. The cooperation was announced by Ukraine’s Minister of Strategic Industries, Herman Smetanin, in early November.

This partnership aims to help Ukraine establish the infrastructure for joint missile production, with the possibility of future technology transfer to enable independent missile production. The FZ275 LGR is the latest version of the FZ90 unguided air missile, developed by Forges de Zeebrugge and manufactured at the Erstal gunsmiths' factory in Belgium. The missile is also compatible with Ukraine's Vampire systems, used for intercepting Russian drones.