Military drones are not a new technology, but they continue to rapidly advance in sophistication, capabilities, and lethality. Nowhere is this more evident than on the blood-soaked battlefields of Ukraine. The war there, now in its third year, is considered the first full-scale drone war. According to the Royal United Services Institute, the Ukrainian military alone burns through approximately 10,000 drones per month. That figure is a testament to the machines’ usefulness in combat operations.
100,000 Drones Month Used by Ukraine in Russia Fight
In the skies over Ukraine, drones of all sizes threaten soldiers on both sides. Drones are often used for reconnaissance, forward observation for artillery, damage assessment, and direct action. That last role creates the most material for headlines, as even small drones can be armed to carry small bombs and other explosives.
Once armed, drones as cheap as $400 are flown directly into their targets—be that a multi-million-dollar tank, or an armored personnel carrier. More ominously, these drones are routinely used to stalk and kill individual soldiers.
So serious is the threat of drone strikes, that the Asia Times reports some estimates according to which 90 percent of wounded Ukrainian soldiers that reach an aid station have been directly hit by an FPV drone or had explosives dropped on them by a drone.
Responses to the Drone Threat, from the Rudimentary to High-Tech
Action invites reaction, and it is no different in drone warfare. Soldiers on both sides of the war have been experimenting with various weapon systems to destroy the airborne menace.
Some solutions are crude by today’s technological standards. These include employing shotguns or mounting numerous AK-47s together to fire in unison from a field-built rack. On the higher end, Ukraine has used handheld or backpack-mounted jamming equipment.
A Quick Look at Thales and its Big Missile Contract for Ukraine
Then there is the heavier stuff, such as the highly accurate, sound-barrier-shattering missiles from French manufacturer Thales.
Paris-based defense company Thales Group manufactures or operates a very diverse portfolio of equipment via a global workforce of 80,900 employees. Thales has an operational presence in 57 countries, and its annual defense sales reached €20.6 billion ($21.8 Billion) in 2024, an increase of 11.7 percent over the previous year.
One of the highly effective weapon systems that Thales manufactures is its Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM). This weapon system, ideal for annihilating drones (among other things) is presently in use by the Ukrainian armed forces. Its presence on the battlefield will soon drastically increase, due to a large supply order made by the United Kingdom under the direction of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The order in question, worth £1.6 billion ($2.046 billion), will be serviced at the Thales factory in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and will cover the manufacture of 5,000 units of the LMM. Given the size and urgency of the order, the Belfast factory set to produce these missiles will hire 200 additional staff members to ensure timely delivery.
The Technical Side of the Lightweight Multirole Missile
As its name denotes, the LMM is quite light. Weighing in at only 13 kilograms (28.6 pounds), its operational range is 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) and it has a maximum speed of Mach 1.5. The LMM is sealed and stored in a canister, which can be quickly mounted on the desired sea, air, or land platform.
The missile itself consists of a two-stage motor and a combined fragmentation and shaped-charge warhead. In addition, the LMM possess a highly accurate laser-guidance system, according to Thales:
“The unique LMM laser guidance beam, Company General Use generated from a sophisticated Laser Transmitter Unit (LTxU), projects low power coded signals direct to the LMM in flight thus ensuring precision engagement, command override and immunity against countermeasures.”
The technology present in the LMM and its warhead makes it a formidable weapon against a wide range of conventional and asymmetric targets, including armored personnel carriers, fast-attack marine vehicles, and drones.
The LMM is optimally suited for taking out a medium or large group of Iran-procured Shahed drones, which are a regular feature of Russia’s destructive aerial bombardment campaign. In February alone, Russia launched 3,902 drones into Ukraine, and of that number, 139 were the heavier Shahed model. These drones generally have a warhead that can weigh from 70 to 110 pounds.
Russian Drones Will Take a Toll Right Up to the End of the War
The war in Ukraine might soon come to a close, if U.S. President Donald Trump can secure agreements from both Ukraine and Russia. While a swift end to the war is ideal, nothing is certain. As long as the war rages on, civilians and combatants alike will continue to suffer and unfortunately lose their lives.
Drones will continue to take their toll, given their great versatility. With the deployment of the LMM, strategic sites and civilian centers can gain greater protection, lives can be saved, and Russian attacks, regardless of the domain, can be blunted.
These weapons may be entering the war at just the right time. With a possible end in sight, Russian generals may launch increasingly devastating attacks in order to secure more territory or pressure the Ukrainian government to acquiesce to some of their demands.
Drones such as the Shahed will loom large in this strategy. If significant numbers of the LMM can be deployed to Ukraine, they will be an effective answer to that threat.
About the Author: Christian P. Martin
Christian P. Martin is a Michigan-based writer; he earned a Master’s degree in Defense & Strategic Studies (Summa cum laude) from the University of Texas, El Paso. Currently, he is a research assistant at the Asia Pacific Security Innovation Forum. Concerning writing, he has published several dozen articles in places like Simple Flying, SOFREP, SOF News, and The Collector.
