According to sources close to the subject, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are very interested in the FZ275 laser-guided rocket from Thales in Belgium. If the Ukrainians are already using 70 mm unguided rockets from Thales, they want to increase their power with rockets whose accuracy is less than one meter.
A demonstration
According to sources close to the subject, during the month of May 2023, Thales, through its subsidiary Thales in Belgium, carried out a demonstration of laser-guided rockets in Poland. If several delegations were present, this demonstration was above all carried out at the request of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
It should be noted that the Ukrainian Land Forces already have 70 mm unguided rockets and confirm their high combat effectiveness. However, the Ukrainian soldiers want to increase their power and have better precision.
The FZ275 LGR rocket
Concretely, the FZ275 LGR rocket is, as its name suggests, a semi-active laser-guided rocket (LGR). With a caliber of 70 mm to NATO standards, it can be used from many systems, day and night. At maximum range, the rocket can hit targets up to seven kilometers from the firing point. Note that for a flight of six kilometers, the accuracy of the rocket is always less than one meter (with a lethal effect within a radius of 9 meters). It can destroy unprotected to lightly armored targets, whether static or moving.
During SIAE 23, Thales in Belgium also presented this rocket, placed in a launcher drone, itself transported by a mother drone. This combination of means then makes it possible to project the rocket more than 120 kilometers from the take-off point (video below).
