Ukrainian soldiers saw cluster munitions to make weapons for UAVs

The Ukrainian army used saws to cut apart cluster munitions supplied by the US, turning them into weapons mounted on UAVs to attack Russian defense positions.

Footage released by the famous "Achilles" unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) unit of the 92nd Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine shows soldiers using a chainsaw to cut apart a 155mm M483A1 artillery shell, a type of cluster munition supplied to Kiev by the US in July.

Cluster munitions, also known as Multipurpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM), contain dozens to hundreds of submunitions inside. Each submunition is equipped with an armor-piercing shaped charge warhead, surrounded by a metal shell that can shatter into many pieces and shoot out at extremely high speeds when the main warhead explodes, capable of dealing with both enemy armored vehicles and infantry.

After sawing off the shells, Ukrainian soldiers took the submunitions out and mounted them on UAVs to drop them on Russian positions. Each M4831A1 shell contained 88 submunitions, including 64 M42s and 24 M46s. M46 submunitions are thicker than M42 shells and are usually placed in the bottom layer of the shell.

Ukrainian soldiers saw off artillery shells to get submunitions attached to UAVs. Photo: Twitter/vitz — Ukrainian soldiers saw off artillery shells to get submunitions attached to UAVs. Photo: *Twitter/vitz*

The Ukrainian soldiers then set the fuses on the submunitions by twisting the fabric stopper with their hands. This also helps keep the submunitions stable. When the submunitions are released from the UAV, the inertia of the fuse pushes the firing pin into the explosive charge, activating the explosives inside.

This cluster munition conversion process raises some safety concerns, as the use of crude tools to cut the shells poses a high risk. The cluster munition’s fuse is also very easy to trigger if not handled properly.

However, experts say this method could be more effective than cluster munitions, as UAVs can detect targets more clearly and drop shells more accurately. The conversion could also allow a single M4831A1 shell to hit up to 88 separate targets.

Cluster munitions are also designed to be able to fall freely and stably onto targets, making them suitable for use with UAVs, especially since their conversion is not really complicated. With its "multi-purpose" properties, cluster munitions can deal with both armored vehicles and soft targets such as soldiers and conventional equipment, which are the main targets of Ukrainian UAVs.

The cluster munitions provided by the US are expected to help Ukraine more effectively deal with Russia's dense network of trenches and minefields, which are causing heavy damage and hindering Kiev's long-awaited counteroffensive.

However, the US transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine is also opposed by a number of countries and international organizations, because this type of weapon can cause widespread damage, especially to civilians after the war.

Ukraine's demand for artillery shells has increased sharply recently after the country's military abandoned NATO-style "shock" tactics and returned to its traditional approach of using artillery and long-range missiles to erode Russian defenses.

Pham Giang (According to Drive, Reuters )

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