The Ukrainian company Skyeton has integrated a laser system for guiding adjustable munitions into its ACS-3 Raybird reconnaissance drone.

Footage of the new system in action was posted by blogger Yigal Levin.

During an operation in one of the areas, the operator of the reconnaissance complex received information about targets in urban areas. Using a thermal imaging channel, the operator detected heat-contrast objects in one of the buildings, and then decided to strike.

The ACS-3 began to irradiate the selected building with the targeting module, flying next to the object at a considerable distance, until the fired projectile successfully hit the building.

Hitting a cluster of infantry in a dense building is an extremely difficult task for conventional weapons, as the first shots always miss, during which time the targets have time to leave the area. However, the laser targeting device ensured an accurate hit of the precision munition.

“This device allowed us to hit the target on the first shot and get a good result,” said Oleksii “Bulldozer”, head of Skyeton’s operations department.

In his commentary for Militarnyi, he said that the laser irradiation system for the ACS-3 was located in a hanging module that could be quickly replaced within 30 seconds.

“The integration of the system lasted about two years, with huge investments and thousands of hours of work by the R&D department, which includes more than 100 employees of our company. The integration was completed with a successful test in November 2024,” said Oleksii.

He refused to comment directly on the technical parameters of the guidance system, but the blogger’s post noted that the drone was capable of guiding projectiles at a distance of up to 5 kilometers and a flight altitude of up to 2.4 km.

The type of ammunition used in the operation also remained a secret. The use of such weapons is not common for Ukrainian troops, as almost all regular high-precision weapons rely on satellite navigation technology.

It is known that in August last year, the Special Operations Forces began trial operation of American Copperhead high-precision 155 mm artillery shells in combat conditions, adjusting them from the ground. At the time, the operators of the Forward Gunners Unit recommended in their report that the use of drones with laser targeting devices be considered, which indicated that such devices were not available at the time.

However, Copperheads are not the only laser beam-guided munitions that could have entered the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The JDAM and AASM bombs, which are common in the military, have models with the same guidance principle.