Serbia’s OBAD combat multicopter at Partner 2025 outlines modular strike and logistics roles
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Serbia’s OBAD multicopter at Partner 2025 debuts a modular kit, ATGMs, 64 mm rockets, sensors, and a 40 kg resupply fit, aimed at fast strikes and short-range logistics.
At Partner 2025 in Serbia, the Military Technical Institute brought its OBAD combat multicopter back to the show floor with a clearer operating concept and a set of modular payloads aligned with current demands for fast, low-signature strikes and short-range resupply. The combination of guided anti-tank missiles, unguided rockets, mortar-type munitions and a 40 kg cargo fit helps explain why small, reusable armed drones are drawing renewed attention in Europe and beyond.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The key point is that platforms like OBAD do not replace high-end systems; they expand the tactical choices available to small units and influence procurement priorities for forces preparing to operate in complex, contested urban and littoral environments (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)
OBAD is a short-range, high-mobility multicopter intended for rapid deployment in day or night. The airframe uses eight BLDC motors with composite, contra-rotating two-blade propellers. In its current form it has an operational weight of about 120 kg, cruises around 45 km/h, operates up to roughly 500 m AGL, and offers 12 to 20 minutes of endurance with a stated range beyond 5 km. The design accepts stabilized, remotely controlled weapon stations configured for two 125 mm guided missiles (Malyutka 2T/2F), pods for 64 mm or 90 mm unguided rockets, or two 120 mm mortar-type munitions. Swapping the weapons kit for a cargo module allows up to 40 kg to be carried for tactical logistics tasks.
In employment terms OBAD sits between expendable loitering munitions and larger fixed-wing or rotary UCAVs. Unlike one-way systems it is meant to be reused. An integrated optronics suite, day camera with 30× continuous optical zoom, a thermal channel with digital zoom, and a laser rangefinder to 5 km, supports target acquisition before delivering guided or unguided effects, with the option to return for reconfiguration. The stabilized RCWS, with limited azimuth and elevation movement, gives the platform flexibility for urban close support, short-range anti-armor work and support to small units operating at the edge of contact.
A brief capability balance makes the trade-offs clear. The 125 mm guided missile fit provides standoff anti-armor effects at roughly 500 to 3,000 m, a useful envelope for ambushes, chokepoint overwatch and quick-reaction defense. Integrating tube-launched anti-tank missiles typically associated with man-portable launchers sets OBAD apart from many small armed multicopters seen in recent conflicts. Endurance and range are constrained compared with tactical fixed-wing UAVs or longer-endurance rotary platforms, limiting persistent ISR. However, VTOL operations and a small footprint for launch and recovery make it practical for dispersed forces working from austere sites. The 40 kg cargo option adds a second role that blurs the line between strike drone and unmanned porter, a versatility not always present in competing systems.
More broadly the system illustrates how modular UAS are being used to compress sensor-to-shooter timelines while reducing exposure of crewed assets. For regional operators the near-term effects are tactical. A relatively low-cost, reusable armed multicopter can complicate rear-area movement, increase the lethality of small units in dense terrain and alter how engineers and logisticians plan protection measures. At a wider level, export or wider adoption of such platforms spreads precision-strike capability to lower-threshold actors unless export controls, doctrine and counter-UAS provisions keep pace. The presentation coincided with Serbian work on precision-guidance kits for mortar rounds, pointing to a broader push toward modular, lower-cost precision effects adaptable across airframes and launchers. The underlying logic favors flexibility and rapid reconfiguration over singular, high-end performance.
The design also raises practical and ethical considerations. Carrying both guided missiles and standard or improvised munitions requires strict rules of engagement, positive identification and robust command-and-control to mitigate misidentification in cluttered environments. The logistics role, moving critical supplies along contested routes, can reduce risk to personnel but will also make such platforms high-value targets, encouraging investment in short-range air defense, electronic warfare and counter-UAS techniques. For procurement teams the central questions will revolve around lifecycle costs, integration into sensor-to-shooter networks, resilience of command links in contested electromagnetic conditions and fit within existing force structures.
The showing at Partner 2025 underscores an ongoing shift. Reusable multicopters are being configured to deliver kinetic effects and carry loads, closing gaps between handheld anti-armor weapons, loitering munitions and larger tactical UAVs. The key point is that platforms like OBAD do not replace high-end systems; they expand the tactical choices available to small units and influence procurement priorities for forces preparing to operate in complex, contested urban and littoral environments. Their spread will shape doctrine, counter-UAS investment and export-control discussions in the period ahead.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Serbia’s OBAD multicopter at Partner 2025 debuts a modular kit, ATGMs, 64 mm rockets, sensors, and a 40 kg resupply fit, aimed at fast strikes and short-range logistics.
At Partner 2025 in Serbia, the Military Technical Institute brought its OBAD combat multicopter back to the show floor with a clearer operating concept and a set of modular payloads aligned with current demands for fast, low-signature strikes and short-range resupply. The combination of guided anti-tank missiles, unguided rockets, mortar-type munitions and a 40 kg cargo fit helps explain why small, reusable armed drones are drawing renewed attention in Europe and beyond.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The key point is that platforms like OBAD do not replace high-end systems; they expand the tactical choices available to small units and influence procurement priorities for forces preparing to operate in complex, contested urban and littoral environments (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)
OBAD is a short-range, high-mobility multicopter intended for rapid deployment in day or night. The airframe uses eight BLDC motors with composite, contra-rotating two-blade propellers. In its current form it has an operational weight of about 120 kg, cruises around 45 km/h, operates up to roughly 500 m AGL, and offers 12 to 20 minutes of endurance with a stated range beyond 5 km. The design accepts stabilized, remotely controlled weapon stations configured for two 125 mm guided missiles (Malyutka 2T/2F), pods for 64 mm or 90 mm unguided rockets, or two 120 mm mortar-type munitions. Swapping the weapons kit for a cargo module allows up to 40 kg to be carried for tactical logistics tasks.
In employment terms OBAD sits between expendable loitering munitions and larger fixed-wing or rotary UCAVs. Unlike one-way systems it is meant to be reused. An integrated optronics suite, day camera with 30× continuous optical zoom, a thermal channel with digital zoom, and a laser rangefinder to 5 km, supports target acquisition before delivering guided or unguided effects, with the option to return for reconfiguration. The stabilized RCWS, with limited azimuth and elevation movement, gives the platform flexibility for urban close support, short-range anti-armor work and support to small units operating at the edge of contact.
A brief capability balance makes the trade-offs clear. The 125 mm guided missile fit provides standoff anti-armor effects at roughly 500 to 3,000 m, a useful envelope for ambushes, chokepoint overwatch and quick-reaction defense. Integrating tube-launched anti-tank missiles typically associated with man-portable launchers sets OBAD apart from many small armed multicopters seen in recent conflicts. Endurance and range are constrained compared with tactical fixed-wing UAVs or longer-endurance rotary platforms, limiting persistent ISR. However, VTOL operations and a small footprint for launch and recovery make it practical for dispersed forces working from austere sites. The 40 kg cargo option adds a second role that blurs the line between strike drone and unmanned porter, a versatility not always present in competing systems.
More broadly the system illustrates how modular UAS are being used to compress sensor-to-shooter timelines while reducing exposure of crewed assets. For regional operators the near-term effects are tactical. A relatively low-cost, reusable armed multicopter can complicate rear-area movement, increase the lethality of small units in dense terrain and alter how engineers and logisticians plan protection measures. At a wider level, export or wider adoption of such platforms spreads precision-strike capability to lower-threshold actors unless export controls, doctrine and counter-UAS provisions keep pace. The presentation coincided with Serbian work on precision-guidance kits for mortar rounds, pointing to a broader push toward modular, lower-cost precision effects adaptable across airframes and launchers. The underlying logic favors flexibility and rapid reconfiguration over singular, high-end performance.
The design also raises practical and ethical considerations. Carrying both guided missiles and standard or improvised munitions requires strict rules of engagement, positive identification and robust command-and-control to mitigate misidentification in cluttered environments. The logistics role, moving critical supplies along contested routes, can reduce risk to personnel but will also make such platforms high-value targets, encouraging investment in short-range air defense, electronic warfare and counter-UAS techniques. For procurement teams the central questions will revolve around lifecycle costs, integration into sensor-to-shooter networks, resilience of command links in contested electromagnetic conditions and fit within existing force structures.
The showing at Partner 2025 underscores an ongoing shift. Reusable multicopters are being configured to deliver kinetic effects and carry loads, closing gaps between handheld anti-armor weapons, loitering munitions and larger tactical UAVs. The key point is that platforms like OBAD do not replace high-end systems; they expand the tactical choices available to small units and influence procurement priorities for forces preparing to operate in complex, contested urban and littoral environments. Their spread will shape doctrine, counter-UAS investment and export-control discussions in the period ahead.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
