Almost half a year ago, in September 2024, russians showed a custom mechanism for scattering PFM-1 anti-personnel landmines from ordinary camera drones. A special tray for small-sized mines is suspended under the drone and opens to release the payload thanks to a servo motor.
However, it turns out that some heavier loads were too difficult to lift by standard quadcopters, OSINT researcher GrandpaRoy2 noted and highlighted a new solution that the russians invasion forces came up with to deal with this shortcoming.
Read more: russians Develop New Drone System for Dropping PFM-1 Mines
A Russian re-usable printed cassette for holding PFM-1 anti-personnel landmines for dropping by an FPV drone.It holds 16 landmines as opposed to 26 in the KPFM-1 cassette, all in order to lighten the load as Russia fields very few heavy drones.1/ https://t.co/d9KUmBRwnp pic.twitter.com/sv6YJh2aFF— Roy (@GrandpaRoy2) February 9, 2025
Using additive manufacturing, aka 3D printing, russians made a cassette that holds 16 landmines as opposed to 26 in the standard Soviet-designed KPFM-1 dispenser.
"The russian inability to produce a heavy drone continues to benefit Ukraine," the author claims alongside a video showcasing a UAV failing to carry the load through. Such failures occur "frequently," they comment.
This Russian FPV apparently can’t lift a full KPFM-M cassette of 26 PFM-1 anti-personnel landmines, and so is found with a reduced load of 20.The Russian inability to produce a heavy drone continues to benefit Ukraine. https://t.co/S6kP0rOBjb pic.twitter.com/C25sIjR3AM— Roy (@GrandpaRoy2) January 18, 2025
Upon release, the PFM-1 mine, colloquially known as Butterfly or Petal, has a body made of plastic filled with 37 grams of liquid high explosive. The wing makes it spin chaotically during the fall, scattering the mines released from the cassette in random directions.
Read more: How Tarhan UGV Helps Ukrainian Forces Evacuate Drones and in Other Combat Missions
