Thales Belgium Ramps Up Anti-Drone Rockets Production for Ukraine

Thales Belgium plans to produce roughly 3,500 anti-drone 70 mm FZ275 LGR rockets by the end of this year—and Kyiv is already using the rounds in combat, the manufacturer says, the company told journalists from Business Insider during a plant visit on October 6.

Thales aims to scale output further: the firm told visitors it expects to raise annual production capacity to 10,000 rockets by 2026, a jump that would materially ease supply pressures for partners buying the weapon.

The rockets are fitted with the new FZ123 anti-drone warhead, revealed last year at Eurosatory.

The FZ123 houses nearly a kilogram of explosive and disperses thousands of tiny steel pellets on detonation—a shotgun-like effect the company says creates an effective kill zone roughly 25 meters in diameter, sufficient to destroy loitering munitions such as Shahed variants.

The rockets have a flight range of about 3 kilometers.

“The good news for us is that if they ask for more, it means they are satisfied,” Thomas Coline, Thales Belgium’s director for vehicles and tactical systems, said, noting that requests from Kyiv already outstrip current production capacity.

Thales has not disclosed unit price or detailed shipment volumes. Company officials confirmed the rounds are compatible with standard NATO 70 mm launchers—including the Vampire system—and can also be fired from upgraded Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters.

Earlier, the United Kingdom and Ukraine were set to sign a long-term defense agreement that would see the delivery of over 5,000 Thales-made air defense missiles to Kyiv.

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