Russia unveils plans for mass production of Drel glide bombs

The Russian propaganda agency TASS reports this, citing the Russian state corporation Rostec.

Russia has confirmed the successful testing of its newest glide bomb, known as Drel, originally announced in 2016. The Ministry of Defense has given the green light for mass production of this advanced munition. “The production of the first batch of the Drel aerial bomb is planned for 2024,” the message says.

Propagandists tout the bomb's capability to annihilate armored vehicles, ground-based radar stations, power plant control centers, and anti-aircraft missile systems. A key feature highlighted is its purported near-invisibility on radar systems.

Russian and Western sources say Drel is a type of cluster bomb. TASS cited the Rostec representative as saying that the information about the use of the bombs in Ukraine is confidential. 

According to official statements, the Driel exhibits the ability to navigate to its target, deploying at the precise moment needed. Should the weapon fail to impact the intended target, a built-in self-destruct mechanism activates after a set period, mitigating any post-conflict risks to the civilian population.

• Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russia is allegedly planning to launch mass production of drones of all types, from ultra-small to heavy attack drones.