Bars Jet-Powered Drone Uses Solid-Fuel Booster for Launch: What We Know About UAV

Ukrainian Bars jet-powered drones are launched using small solid-fuel boosters to strike Russian forces.

This is shown in a launch video published by the Museum of the Russo-Ukrainian War on its Facebook page.

An above-ground launcher is used, though its design has not been disclosed, presumably for security reasons to prevent detection by the enemy.

The video shows that the booster lifts the Bars drone to a certain altitude and provides the minimum speed required for the jet engine to ignite.

The solid-fuel booster operates for only a few seconds, but that is sufficient to launch the drone.

It is worth noting that the museum made public a photo in December 2025 that provided the first clear view of the drone, which had been largely unknown until then.

The Ukrainian Defense Forces regularly use Bars jet-powered drones to strike Russian military facilities.

The system’s existence first became public during a speech by then Minister of Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin in April 2025.

At the time, he listed several new developments in loitering munitions, including Bars, but did not disclose technical details or specifications.

In the spring, an anonymous source told the BBC that the jet engine is a privately developed design that can be mass-produced in Ukraine.

In terms of performance, Bars is comparable to another system, the Peklo drone, which is also used in strikes against Russian forces.

The source described Bars as a medium-range strike weapon, claiming a flight range of about 700-800 km.

The military has only recently begun to officially report the use of Bars alongside other strike systems, although the drones appear to have been in use for some time.

In particular, they were part of the autumn campaign of strikes deep inside Russian territory, including the attack on the Sheskharis oil terminal in Novorossiysk and strikes on targets in Russian-occupied Crimea.