2014 Russia-Ukraine War

60 mm Mortar Bombs in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Ukrainian reporting documents 60 mm mortar bombs in the war as factory-integrated warheads for UB60D FPV strike drones supplied to Ukrainian units after combat-zone testing.

Weapon profileMortar bombs, 60mm
SideUkraineRoleFire SupportAsymmetric Advantage
Mortar bombs, 60mm, 60 mm mortar ammunition, Munitions - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: 60mm-Mortar-Rounds.jpg

Timeline

Mortar bombs, 60mm In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. Combat-zone testing reported near Udachne

    Oboronka reported that the UB60D complex had been tested in a combat zone on the Pokrovsk axis near Udachne before mass production.

    Sources: Oboronka UB60D Codification

  2. UB60D approved for Ukrainian defense-force operation

    Oboronka reported that the UB60D, a pre-equipped FPV drone based on a 60 mm fragmentation mortar shell, had been approved for operation in Ukraine's defense forces and was being supplied to units in the Zaporizhzhia direction.

    Sources: Oboronka UB60D Codification

  3. Serial production reported

    Ukrainska Pravda reported Ukrainian Armor's announcement that serial production of the UB60D had begun and that more than 5,000 drone systems had already been produced.

    Sources: Ukrainska Pravda UB60D Serial Production

  4. UB60D strike in Russia reported

    Oboronka reported that combat units of Ukraine's National Police used a UB60D drone to hit a communications antenna more than 20 km from the Ukrainian border.

    Sources: Oboronka UB60D Russia Strike

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

In July 2025, Oboronka reported that Ukrainian Armored Vehicles' UB60D strike UAV complex had been approved for operation by Ukraine's defense forces. The company described the UB60D as a pre-equipped FPV drone based on a 60 mm fragmentation mortar shell, with the munition arriving to front-line units already fitted as the drone warhead.

The same report placed the system inside the war rather than only in development: it said the complex had been tested in a combat zone in January 2025 on the Pokrovsk axis near Udachne and was then being supplied to units in the Zaporizhzhia direction.

Sources: Oboronka UB60D Codification

Timeline

The public record begins with January 2025 combat-zone testing, followed by July 2025 approval for Ukrainian defense-force operation and September 2025 reporting that serial production had begun. By June 2026, Oboronka reported a UB60D strike against a communications antenna on Russian territory by combat units of Ukraine's National Police.

Sources: Oboronka UB60D Codification, Ukrainska Pravda UB60D Serial Production, Oboronka UB60D Russia Strike

Narrative

The documented Ukrainian use is not conventional 60 mm mortar fire from a tube. It is the adaptation of a 60 mm fragmentation mortar shell into a ready-to-use FPV strike drone warhead, with the mortar bomb serving as the explosive payload inside the UB60D system.

Ukrainian Armor and later reporting emphasized that this arrangement reduced field integration work because the drone was delivered with the warhead already installed. Ukrainska Pravda reported in September 2025 that more than 5,000 UB60D drone systems had already been produced after serial production started, and repeated the company's description of the UB60D as a fully equipped FPV drone based on a 60 mm fragmentation mortar round.

By June 2026, Oboronka reported that Ukrainian Armor had shown a UB60D strike on a communications antenna more than 20 km from Ukraine's state border. That report again described the UB60D as carrying an integrated warhead based on a 60 mm mortar munition.

Sources: Oboronka UB60D Codification, Ukrainska Pravda UB60D Serial Production, Oboronka UB60D Russia Strike

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Sources