A little over a month ago, the United States for the first time showed the appearance of the Phoenix Ghost — a unique weapon created specifically for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the U.S. back in 2022. This loitering munition, as turned out, was designed by AEVEX Aerospace, with some of varieties and their specifications outlined.
This time, The War Zone has brought more details about this kamikaze drone that still remains largely "unexplored" to the public. Looking through a promo video published by the manufacturer, journalists noticed that Phoenix Ghost features a top-down attack capability: "Different Phoenix Ghost types can be configured to launch attacks straight down while passing overhead, akin to an air-bursting artillery shell, rather than having to careen into their targets and detonate."
Read more: US Finally Reveals Phoenix Ghost, an Attack Drone Promised to Ukraine Back in 2022
Defense Express adds, the main advantage this type of burst offers is that the drone doesn't need to make contact with the target. This requirement could be seen a vulnerability of some of the simpler drones, and exploited by the enemy.
The top-down action employed by drones of the Phoenix Ghost family is similar of that implemented in smart artillery shells with individually guided submunitions.
The video above was filmed during the Northern Strike 24-2 exercises carried out by the Michigan National Guard in August 2024. During these exercises, the American military personnel familiarized themselves with the Dagger, Dominator, and Disruptor kamikaze drones from the Phoenix Ghost family. There is evidence of all three of these types being in service in Ukraine, TZW notes.
Even though the disclosure of the warhead type seems to be lacking in impact, in fact, it's significant progress already. Up until first photos published in October 2024, any data on the Phoenix Ghost drones were strictly classified.
This knowledge lacuna was a reason for misunderstandings about some of the unknown drone findings occasionally surfacing online. For example, what looked suspiciously similar to Shahed-101 in service with the russians, in practice turned out to be the Dagger kamikaze drone of the Phoenix Ghost family, according to TWZ.
Read more: russian Billion-Hryvnia Radar Falls to Cost-Effective Ukrainian FPV Drones (Video)
