Europe’s Thales unveils 70mm FZ123 warhead to counter Shahed drones

European defence firm Thales has developed a compact 70mm rocket warhead called FZ123 that is filled with thousands of small steel pellets; on detonation the pellets spread in a cloud roughly 25 metres across, sufficient, the company says, to destroy an attack drone. 

The rocket, compatible with NATO-standard 70mm launchers, has a maximum effective range of a few kilometres and — according to Thales Belgium — is already being fielded in Ukraine, where demand outstrips current production capacity. 

Thales and independent reporting say the weapon offers a lower-cost option to shoot down loitering munitions: pricier than simple interceptor drones but markedly cheaper than conventional surface-to-air missiles, filling a niche in layered air-defence.