Russia is now apparently using the Shahed-family drones to lay anti-tank mines, echoing a tactic used by Ukrainian multi-rotor ‘bomber’ drones, though with very different advantages. Though it’s unclear how widely this new use for the Shahed is being employed, it represents yet another challenge to Ukraine from a drone that has terrorized the country for years now.
A new video emerged on social media showing at least one of the delta-winged uncrewed aircraft dropping PTM-3 anti-tank mines from canisters attached underneath the Shahed’s blended flying-wing-like fuselage. Each canister contains one mine, released by a small explosive charge, which is visible in the video. At least two Ukrainian vehicles appear to have struck the mines.
“Today on our channel is the premiere of the latest drone tactics against ground-moving targets,” wrote the Russian NGP-Razvedka military Telegram channel, which posted the video on Sunday. “Some time ago, the enemy posted anxious messages claiming that under the wing of the Geranium [the Russian name for Shaheds] were found cassettes with mines, suspended with unknown purposes. The malicious NgP soldiers were testing some technologies, but silently.”
“The Geranium conducts remote mining of enemy supply routes in real time, resulting in one transport unit going down, while another with shredded infantry manages to escape, though not very far in such a state,” NGP-Razvedka claimed in an explanation of what is seen in the video. “The guidance system will be refined, the tactics of use expanded, and the logistics of the Nazis will be turned into a complete nightmare. The range of the Geranium is over 1,000 km (621 miles), do you get what that means?”
The use of Shaheds to drop mines was first revealed last week by the National Police of Ukraine (NPU) after one of the drones was shot down in the Sumy region.
“This method allows the enemy to remotely mine roads, agricultural lands, and more,” NPU explained on its Telegram channel. “The PTM-3 mine, small in size, in a plastic casing, has a magnetic detonator and reacts to machinery that is nearby or passing by.”
The NPU post included four images of the system recovered from the recovered Shahed, which you can see below.
The police urged “citizens to be vigilant and careful! This especially applies to drivers of any machinery working in the fields, as well as those moving along field roads where visibility of the road surface is limited due to grass vegetation.” NPU also warned anyone finding one of these mines to contact authorities immediately.
“This also applies to enemy UAVs detected that did not explode upon falling,” NPU added. “In addition to a powerful warhead, they may also contain mine traps or sensors that can trigger an explosion if tampered with.”
The PTM-3 is a Soviet-era scatterable anti-tank mine that can be deployed either by hand, vehicle, artillery, or helicopter, according to the U.S. Army. The mine’s case “is configured to produce a shaped charge effect on five sides,” the Army noted. “Once deployed, the mine arms itself after 60 seconds. The mine uses a magnetic influence fuze that detonates the mine when a vehicle passes over it. It is also reported to have an anti-handling device that is sensitive to movement.”
Using Shaheds to drop mines is the latest development of the Iranian-designed weapon that first appeared on the battlefield for Russia in September 2022. They have been frequently improved on since and have become by far Russia’s main standoff weapons, used to cause widespread damage across Ukraine.
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