BSDA 2024: ROMARM develops new family of drone-dropped munitions

The complete family of Carfil's drone-dropped munitions (from left to right: 60 mm, 81 mm, 82 mm, and 120 mm), showing the polymer stabilising fins that have been used to reduce weight. (Janes/Sonny Butterworth)

Carfil, a subsidiary of Romania's state-owned ROMARM holding company, displayed a family of drone-dropped munitions at the Black Sea Defense and Aerospace (BSDA) 2024 exhibition held in Bucharest from 22 to 24 May.

Based on ROMARM's existing range of 60 mm, 81 mm, 82 mm, and 120 mm mortar bombs, the drone-dropped variants include stabilising fins manufactured from polymers to reduce their weight and different fuzes. The high-explosive (HE) warheads are unchanged.

The weights of the drone-dropped variants of these munitions were not listed by Carfil, but ROMARM's brochure lists a weight of approximately 1,500 kg for its standard 60 mm HE mortar bomb, 3,100 kg for its standard 81 mm and 82 mm HE mortar bombs, and 15 kg for its standard 120 mm mortar bomb.

Carfil has also developed a rack for carrying its drone-dropped munitions, with the example on display at BSDA 2024 having a capacity of five 120 mm munitions. This rack is designed to be attached as a payload for small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which can then drop the munitions onto targets such as infantry, structures, or vehicles.

The munitions remain in development and have not yet entered production. Speaking to Janes on 24 May, Andreea Panait, marketing consultant at Carfil, revealed that the 60 mm version of this munition family was test-dropped from an altitude of 100 m in 2023, with the altitude of the test being restricted by regulations.