Ukraine to Manufacture Batch of 100,000 FZ275 Rockets Filled with Steel Pellets

Ukraine will begin production of the Belgian 70-mm FZ275 LGR guided missiles, equipped with warheads filled with thousands of steel pellets designed to shoot down drones.

Thanks to financial support from the European Union, Thales developed the finished product in record time — just 12 months before its first deployment on the battlefield, reports SVT.

According to Thales’ plans, part of a large-scale batch of 100,000 missiles, which the company plans to produce annually starting in 2028, will be assembled directly at Ukrainian facilities.

The main technological feature of the rockets is the FZ123 warhead, which contains between 6,500 and 7,000 small steel pellets.

When the nearly one-kilogram explosive charge detonates near the target, the shrapnel scatters in all directions, guaranteed to destroy the aerial target.

The new weapon was developed specifically to help Ukraine intercept Russian Shahed-type kamikaze drones.

The joint production of these missiles will be organized under a memorandum signed by Ukraine and Thales Belgium in 2024.

According to Herman Smetanin, then-head of the Ministry of Strategic Industries, future cooperation will involve a full transfer of technology so that Ukraine can independently manufacture the FZ275 LGR.

The foundation for the launch of production was a strategic decision to establish a joint venture in Ukraine, which the French defense company Thales and JSC “Ukroboronprom” officially announced in 2025.

The project was based on the work of the Belgian company Forges de Zeebrugge. The new missile has become the most technologically advanced variant of the well-known FZ90 unguided missile thanks to the integration of a laser guidance system.

The missile is capable of engaging targets at a range of up to 3 km. Thanks to their standard 70 mm caliber, they are highly compatible with various platforms.

They can be launched both from Vampire ground-based launchers and from American F-16 fighter jets, which are in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.