With its previously highly secretive Phoenix Ghost family of kamikaze drones now having emerged fully into the light, AEVEX Aerospace has been more openly discussing their capabilities. One especially interesting detail has now emerged: the different Phoenix Ghost types can be configured to launch attacks straight down while passing overhead, akin to an air-bursting artillery shell, rather than having to careen into their targets and detonate.
The top-down attack capability was a particular highlight of a Phoenix Ghost promotional video AEVEX released earlier this month, seen below. The footage was captured during Northern Strike 24-2, a joint-service exercise the Michigan National Guard led this past summer that included a variety of air, ground, and maritime components, including JSX-2 microjets masquerading as cruise missiles and drones.
AEVEX had offered its first official details about the Phoenix Ghost family, originally developed as part of an effort under the Air Force’s Big Safari special projects office and then rushed to Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion in 2022, last month. Information about the drones, or even what they looked like, had been extremely closely guarded before then.
AEVEX brought three types of Phoenix Ghost drones – the Dagger, Dominator, and Disruptor – to Northern Strike 24-2. There is evidence of all three of these types being in service in Ukraine. At least one other member of the family, the Atlas, is known to exist, but it is unclear if Ukrainian forces have received them in addition to the other types.
“The Dagger is actually one of our earliest designs,” a member of AEVEX says in the video. “So, 55 pounds with a little bit of a smaller warhead and really going about 100-150 kilometers [range-wise]. … a small unit can operate it and make a difference on the battle space in specific tactical scenarios.”
Disruptor of the Phoenix Ghost family
“The Disruptor is really a simple design with a lot of capability,” he adds. “So, it’s a simple design in terms of manufacturing. It’s also a simple design in terms of operations. So, very easy to put together out in the field, but still with – now you’re talking about 50 pounds payload to be able to carry that again, five to six hours [in terms of endurance]. So, still packs quite a punch.”
In terms of “punch,” the AEVEX video shows all three designs conducting top-down attacks using blast fragmentation warheads that shower their targets in deadly shrapnel. Pictures, seen in the social media post below, that recently emerged of the remains of Disruptor launched by Ukrainian forces show the warhead section in that drone featured a pre-scored ‘sleeve’ designed to break into fragments after detonation.
Top-down air-bursting attacks offer significant benefits over a point-detonating design, especially when it comes to engaging personnel or unarmored targets in trenches or otherwise behind cover. They can be very effective against various targets out in the open, including aircraft and air defense systems, and soft-skinned vehicles, and offer more of an area effect, in general.
It was not obvious initially, but the earlier AEVEX promotional video seen below contains additional views of the Phoenix Ghost family’s top-down attack profile.
Whether other warhead types, such as ones with greater anti-armor capability, are available for the Phoenix Ghost family or might be in development is unknown, but would also fit well with the top-down mode of attack. The tops of tanks and other armored vehicles are typically where they are most vulnerable. The growing specter of top-down attacks, including by drones and specially designed anti-tank guided missiles, is already having impacts on the design of new defensive capabilities for armored vehicles. Earlier this year, Israeli defense contractor Rafael unveiled a new version of its combat-proven Trophy active protection system (APS) with features to help defeat threats from above.
“We haven’t really gotten into anti-tank or anti-armor, just because it’s not been a requirement for us,” Elizabeth Trammell, senior director of business development at AEVEX, did tell TWZ at AUSA back in October. “A lot of our aircraft, we had the base capability and then our customers came in and said, ‘This is what we want.’”
It is still not clear exactly how Phoenix Ghost drones know where and when to detonate their warheads, if they can engage moving targets, or if they can execute attacks in other modes.
“AEVEX loitering munitions automatically detect, identify, locate, report (DILR) and deliver lethal and non-lethal effects against threats across multiple scenarios and domains with unprecedented accuracy and speed” and are able to “navigate, make decisions, and complete missions without direct intervention,” according to the company’s website.
As already noted, Daggers and Disruptors have clearly been employed in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and Dominators look to be in use, too. With the details that have emerged so far, experts and observers now know what to look for and have also gone back and identified imagery of many previously unknown drones as members of the Phoenix Ghost family.
Source: The War Zone