Amid the relentless evolution of modern warfare, Ukraine’s ongoing conflict has become a proving ground for new defensive technologies, particularly in the realm of counter-drone systems. The intensifying drone battles over Eastern Europe have catalyzed the emergence of a groundbreaking European weapon: a specialized helicopter-launched rocket engineered to disperse a dense, but precisely calibrated, cloud of high-velocity steel pellets across the sky. This innovative munition, designed specifically to intercept and disable enemy drones, demonstrates how high-tech adaptations are rapidly being developed in response to urgent battlefield requirements.
As Russia continues to unleash frequent and increasingly sophisticated waves of Shahed one-way attack drones against Ukrainian positions, defense contractors across Europe have been working to find affordable, scalable methods of neutralizing these small yet destructive aerial threats. Thales, one of Europe’s foremost defense manufacturers, has responded by modifying its existing 70mm rockets with an airburst warhead—a design that detonates midair rather than upon impact, thereby casting a lethal dispersal of shrapnel with remarkable efficiency. The result of this engineering effort is the FZ123 warhead, a compact yet formidable device loaded with thousands of tiny steel spheres propelled outward by roughly two pounds of high-explosive material.
When detonated, the FZ123 releases its steel payload in a violent burst that spans an area approximately 80 feet in diameter. The function is analogous to how pellets from a shotgun shell spread outward to cover a wider zone, enhancing the probability of striking agile aerial targets. Depending on flight trajectory and distance, the effective spread of these steel pellets can extend substantially, making the weapon adaptable for engaging both solitary drones and tightly clustered swarms. The concept is simple but effective: maximize the likelihood of interception by saturating a localized section of the sky with dense projectiles, each capable of crippling fragile drone airframes or targeting critical electronic components.
Ukrainian soldiers, who have resorted to using shotguns at extremely short range to ward off small reconnaissance or kamikaze drones, now find in the FZ123 system a vastly expanded yet economically viable means of defense. The helicopter-fired or vehicle-mounted 70mm rockets armed with these warheads offer NATO-standard forces the capability to eliminate drones categorized as Class II—including the Shahed—and even heavier Class III models at ranges reaching up to 10,000 feet. This cost-efficient solution bridges the gap between inexpensive, manually operated small arms and prohibitively costly missile systems, giving defenders a vital tactical advantage.
The FZ123 was first publicly introduced at the Eurosatory 2024 defense exhibition in Paris, where Thales Belgium showcased both the warhead and its compatible rocket platforms to journalists and military observers. During an exclusive visit to the company’s production facility in Herstal, eastern Belgium, Business Insider was granted an in-depth look at the warhead’s construction and operational design. Engineers demonstrated how the compact housing accommodates the steel pellets and how the internal explosive charge disperses them in a carefully calculated pattern. The company’s domain director for vehicles and tactical systems, Thomas Colinet, confirmed that this weapon is already being deployed in Ukraine, adding that the volume of Kyiv’s requests now exceeds the manufacturer’s current capacity. His comment—“If they are asking for more, it means they are satisfied with its performance”—summarizes the strong endorsement that practicality, effectiveness, and affordability have earned for this new technology.
From a financial perspective, the FZ123-equipped 70mm rocket occupies a strategic middle ground between small interceptor drones and traditional guided missiles. Ukrainian engineers have developed and deployed thousands of first-person-view (FPV) interceptor drones capable of chasing down and colliding with Russian Shahed units, with costs typically ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per drone. By contrast, a single 70mm rocket is more expensive than such drones but remains far more economical than any guided missile. For instance, even the most sophisticated version of Thales’s laser-guided rocket costs only a fraction—about one-fifth—of a conventional missile, such as the AIM-7 Sparrow, which is priced at around $125,000 apiece. Colinet described the economic advantage succinctly: “Compared to a missile, the rocket is a low-cost alternative that still achieves significant results.”
While Thales Belgium has refrained from publishing precise unit costs or the number of warheads delivered to Ukraine, its manufacturing figures suggest a rapidly expanding output. The FZ123 is one of several warheads compatible with the company’s modular 70mm rocket series, initially designed for light attack helicopters such as the Eurocopter Tiger. Engineers at the Herstal facility are continuously refining both guided and unguided rocket models. The firm expects to produce roughly 3,500 units by the close of this year and aims to expand production to an annual volume of 10,000 guided rockets by 2026. For the unguided variants—slightly simpler to produce yet still compatible with the FZ123 warhead—Thales can currently manufacture up to 30,000 per year, with potential capacity doubling to 60,000 through extended factory shifts and logistical collaboration with suppliers.
However, not all these rockets carry the anti-drone payload. Thales also manufactures multiple types of 70mm munitions tailored for air-to-ground or ground-to-ground missions, some of which are already used by Ukrainian units to destroy uncrewed ground vehicles deployed by Russian forces. Beyond Ukraine, Thales maintains export relationships with other nations, including NATO allies across Europe and selected non-NATO partners such as India, demonstrating the global relevance of its standardized 70mm rocket architecture.
Operationally, the FZ123’s significant strength lies in its adaptability and integration. It is fully compatible with NATO-standard 70mm launchers and is currently deployed on Ukraine’s Vampire systems—truck-mounted, multibarrel launchers developed by L3Harris. Prototype versions are also being tested by Ukrainian MI-8 helicopters retrofitted to fire NATO munitions. Such systems enable flexible defensive tactics: ground-based batteries can be positioned for point defense of critical installations, while helicopters provide dynamic interception of airborne aggressors. The guided variant incorporates laser-targeting technology, requiring operators to maintain precise illumination of an enemy drone until the munition reaches proximity, at which point either a proximity or impact fuse triggers the airburst.
This process is not without complications. Russian operators have reportedly begun flying Shahed drones at higher altitudes and exploiting adverse weather—especially low visibility during nighttime raids—to complicate interception efforts. Nevertheless, these environmental challenges affect nearly all existing air-defense systems, and the FZ123-equipped rocket offers a balance of reliability, flexibility, and affordability unmatched by many costlier alternatives. Olivier Heuschen, Thales Belgium’s head of strategy and marketing for tactical systems, explained that when a guided rocket loses the laser signal, it automatically navigates toward the last known target for several seconds before transitioning into a ballistic trajectory. Stabilized by extendable fins that deploy after launch, the rocket maintains aerodynamic precision throughout its flight, maximizing its chances of detonation close enough to annihilate a hostile drone.
Driven by surging demand across the continent, Thales Belgium has dramatically increased its production capacity in recent years. The workforce at the Herstal plant has quintupled over five years, reaching around 300 specialists. Plans are underway for deeper collaboration with Kyiv, including local assembly and maintenance of 70mm rockets in Ukraine—a landmark agreement announced in late 2023 aimed at decentralizing manufacturing and ensuring faster battlefield supply. This surge coincides with growing unease across Europe following a series of cross-border drone incidents. In recent months, unauthorized UAVs have entered the airspace of Poland, Denmark, and Romania, accentuating concerns about the continent’s preparedness for drone warfare. Alain Quevrin, Thales Belgium’s country director, has described the recent influx of inquiries about the 70mm system as “unbelievable,” remarking that nearly every European defense ministry now seeks effective yet affordable anti-drone measures.
Owned by the French-based Thales Group, the Belgian division remains Europe’s principal producer of 70mm rocket systems and thus occupies a pivotal role in the region’s emerging defense strategy. When Poland reported multiple Russian drone incursions in a single night, NATO forces responded by scrambling fighter aircraft such as F-35s to intercept them. Subsequent analysis revealed that several of the intercepted drones were decoys designed to provoke costly missile launches—an asymmetric tactic that underscores why nations are urgently pursuing more economical countermeasures. Indeed, reports that million-dollar AIM-120 air-to-air missiles were used in those events have intensified interest in accessible alternatives like Thales’s rocket technology. As Quevrin observed, many European officials are now earnestly questioning, “Do we have the right system to address this new challenge?” In this shifting landscape of technological warfare, the FZ123 stands out as both a pragmatic and symbolic response: a weapon designed not merely to destroy drones, but to redefine how modern militaries restore balance between cost and capability in the age of aerial autonomy.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-drone-rocket-70mm-shahed-thales-2025-10
