Loitering munitions, especially smaller FPV drones, play a significant role on the battlefield in Ukraine. Soldiers are much less at risk, can operate from a safe distance and just by using a drone which costs less than a single 155mm shell manufactured in the West, vehicles worth millions of euros can be destroyed.
It is therefore no wonder that Ukraine is focussing specifically on the use of loitering munitions and is now, besides buying and manufacturing thousands each month on their own and crowdfunding a lot via Social Media, even being supplied with thousands of additional drones by its NATO partners.
For example, Germany’s Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius announced in June that Germany would support Ukraine with thousands of “strike drones” (note: loitering munition) as part of a new military aid package. Further details such as which drones are in question are still unknown.
However, one possible candidate could be the Maus, which is produced by the Bavarian defence start-up Donaustahl. The Maus is a newly developed adaptive loitering munition platform that is already being tested in Ukraine.
As CEO Stefan Thumann confirmed to me, Donaustahl has now decided to take a further step and donate Maus (Eng.: Mouse) loitering munition platforms to selected units of the Ukrainian army to support them in their fight against the Russian forces.
The first user will be the Special Unit HUR MO Kraken, which operates under the Main Directorate of Intelligence and is one of the most popular and best-equipped Ukrainian SOF units. In other words, the chances of seeing the Maus in action are probably not that small.
Of course, the use in Ukraine also helps the further development of the Maus, which is still somewhat in the early stages of development, while naturally also generating a certain advertising boost for the still young company from Bavaria.
“Maus” – A look behind the curtain
The Maus can be used as an adaptive loitering munition platform both during the day and at night, as it can be equipped with IR/thermal vision if required. The modular system allows its operators to equip the drone differently depending on the combat mission and the target they want to engage with.
It can be equipped with various warheads such as an RGP-7 for FPV kamikaze attacks, while it can also perform drone dropped combat engagement and therefore, for example, use NATO 40mm ammunition for automatic grenade launchers or Donaustahl’s self-developed Sonyashnyk and Trench Cleaner effectors for targeted engagement of infantry or booby traps.
The Ukrainian units will receive a mix of the various configurations mentioned above.
It has an effective combat range of 5 to 7 km, a vertical ascent rate of up to 18 to 22 m/s, a maximum speed of 140 km/h and can be equipped with a wide range of payloads weighing a maximum of 2.7 kg. The chosen effector, which is attached to the drone to engage the target, can be replaced within half a minute at maximum thanks to a self-developed one-click system.
Another stand-out feature of the Maus is the basis of the drone. Unlike commercially available drones, it’s not made from carbon, but from specially processed wood.
This makes the loitering munition platform around 10% heavier than conventional FPV drones, but at the same time also around 75% cheaper when it comes to the production costs of the frame. In my opinion, this is a clear advantage when it comes to mass production, especially because wood is a renewable natural resource.
The company is also currently testing and developing its own AI recognition software under the name “Vulture”, which is designed to reliably recognise people, vehicles, and even equipment.
Donaustahl already attracted positive recognition last year by donating equipment to the Ukrainian army. For example, the 117th Separate Mechanised Brigade was given specially produced ampoule carriers, which are used by Ukrainian combat medics to safely transport medicine at the front line.
With the donation announced today, the young company is taking another important step. The fact is: If it can convince the SOF of the Special Unit HUR MO Kraken of the effectiveness of the Maus, nothing should stand in the way of large orders, for example via the drone coalition of the UDCG.
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