Warhead With Napalm: Russian Invaders Continue to Experiment With Shahed Lethality

Russian forces have introduced a new warhead modification for Shahed (Geranium) kamikaze drones — this one filled with a liquid incendiary mixture.

The finding was reported by the LandminesAndCoffee Telegram channel.

The warhead has no official designation. It contains a reddish-brown liquid incendiary mixture, presumed to be napalm.

A distinctive feature is the unconventional initiation method: the bursting charge appears to use an OFBCH-2 main charge with a UZ-2 fuse. Markings on the drone indicate the warhead’s total mass is about 90 kg.

The warhead is a thin-walled cylinder. At its center, to ignite and disperse the mixture over the target, sits an OFBCH-2 charge weighing about 2 kg.

An additional tank of incendiary mixture was found in the nose, suggesting the enemy may be using a reservoir similar to the fuel tank found in Gerbera-type UAVs.

The report’s author says Russians are attempting to combine incendiary charges with high-explosive and fragmentation elements to enhance both blast and fire effects.

Recent reporting indicates Russian forces have also begun using drones fitted with a new high-explosive fragmentation warhead capable of air detonation.

Investigators found a LiDAR sensor in the hull, which may indicate the ability to detonate above the target at a preset altitude.

That suggests the new warhead is intended both for contact damage and to increase high-explosive fragmentation effectiveness via airburst.

Previously, Russian manufacturers have fitted Shahed (Geran) variants with a range of warheads. The “K” and “KB” series have used the 52 kg thermobaric BST-52 and the high-explosive BSF-50. The “Ы” series has carried the 50 kg OFZBCH-50 high-explosive fragmentation warhead and the thermobaric TBBCH-50. Iranian warheads and heavy 90 kg cumulative-fragmentation-high-explosive-incendiary shells with the TGF-35P2 explosive have also been reported.