Ryan O'Leary spoke about a problem with ammunition for FPV drones
Ryan O'Leary, an American volunteer fighting with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stated that ammunition remains one of the main problems facing Ukrainian drones. In his view, the country is wasting valuable resources by relying on homemade solutions instead of mass-producing high-quality, standardized products.
He emphasized that the issue concerns not only battlefield effectiveness but also the conservation of explosives and the development of the Ukrainian defense industry.
According to O’Leary, large quantities of TNT or other powerful explosives are currently being wasted due to the use of homemade munitions for FPV drones. Furthermore, such products often fall short in quality and effectiveness compared to factory-made equivalents. “The amount of explosive material wasted due to the excessive use of homemade munitions for drones is extremely costly for Ukraine,” he noted.
The volunteer said he knows of at least two companies that are already producing fully ready-to-use military-grade munitions with standardized production and quality control. At the same time, they are unable to quickly increase production due to a lack of funding and complex bureaucratic procedures. “They need more funding to scale up production, simpler and faster approval procedures for new manufacturers, and less excessive administrative oversight,” O’Leary wrote.
He also called for support for companies that manufacture munition casings without explosive materials. This will help accelerate the transition from improvised designs to modern mass-produced products that operate much more effectively.
According to the military official, reducing the time between target detection and engagement depends not only on the drones themselves or the skill of the operators. It is equally important that a single piece of ammunition is guaranteed to accomplish its mission. “Reducing the engagement cycle is not just about faster target detection and engagement. It also means reducing the number of munitions needed to destroy a single target. Improving munition design and ensuring consistent quality directly contribute to achieving this goal,” he emphasized.
Ryan O’Leary also drew attention to the need to develop Ukrainian production of modern explosives such as RDX and HMX. According to him, demand for these explosives in Europe will only grow, as countries are actively ramping up defense production. He believes that Ukraine has every opportunity to become a producer of such products for the European market while simultaneously meeting its own needs.
In conclusion, the volunteer proposed another approach to supplying drones to the military. In his view, every drone should be equipped with the appropriate ammunition right from the start. “Every time a drone is ordered and delivered—whether it’s an FPV or an aircraft-type drone—the corresponding ammunition must be supplied along with it. Whether it’s high-explosive, fragmentation, or another type of munition, it must be included in the kit,” Ryan O’Leary concluded. The soldier wrote about this on the social media platform X.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the strike on the Omsk Oil Refinery, located nearly 2,500 kilometers from the state border. A direct hit followed by a fire was recorded on the refinery’s premises.
The plant specializes in producing a wide range of fuels, lubricants, and petrochemical products. In particular, it produces high-octane automotive gasoline grades AI-92, AI-95, and G-Drive 100; Euro-5-compliant diesel fuel; and TS-1 and RT aviation kerosene. The plant also produces benzene, paraxylene, orthoxylene, raw materials for carbon black, and motor and industrial oils.
