Ukraine is 3D printing bombs to keep up with its battlefield demands, says report, with some costing as little as $3.85

Sinéad Baker
·3 min read
103

  • Ukraine is using 3D-printed "candy bombs" against Russian forces, The Economist reported.

  • One group said making the non-explosive parts of the bombs costs just $3.85 each.

  • Ukraine is struggling with ammunition shortages and has had to improvise some weapons in response.

Ukraine is 3D-printing bombs as it looks for alternative ways to supply enough weaponry for its fight back against Russia's military, according to a new report.

The Economist reported that Ukraine has turned to "candy bombs" amid weapons and ammunition shortages, with the publication speaking to several different amateur groups involved in the task.

One group making 3D-printed bombs has produced more than 30,000 in the past four months, the report said, with the group's leader, known as "Swat," saying that production is ramping up.

Another group, which makes casings for 800-gram anti-personnel bombs, said that it makes about 1,000 a week, but that the Ukrainian officer who acts as the team's military contact wants that to grow to 1,500 a day.

The 3D-printed casings it makes are then sent off to be filled with C4 explosives.

Lyosha, an amateur weapons-maker based in Kyiv, said the bombs, called "Zaychyk", which means "Rabbit," can cut into wooden planks "like butter."

He also described them as more effective than traditional, smaller grenades, which, he said, are short of "killing power."

Another volunteer group The Economist spoke to, the Wild Bees, is made up of non-Ukrainians. One of their Polish volunteers said he makes the non-explosive parts for a 27-centimeter-high bomb, which involves a nose cone, body, and tail, for less than $3.85 on a 3D printer that cost about $1,200.

The group's leader in Latvia, Janis Ozols, told the outlet that he thinks at least 65,000 bombshells have been shipped from other parts of Europe into Ukraine since November 2022, with Ukrainian customs turning a blind eye, classing such shipments as children's toys or candle-holders, according to The Economist.

Bigger 3D-printed bombs are also reportedly in use in Ukraine. A serviceman in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, where fighting is particularly intense, said 11-pound candy bombs have killed exposed infantry 65 feet away from where they fell.

He also told the outlet that he thinks Ukraine's military is dropping around 200 different models and sizes of the bombs.

The Economist's report comes after The Washington Post reported in April that Ukrainians were using 3D printers to make alternative munitions in underground workshops in eastern Ukraine.

And Ukraine has reportedly used other improvised weapons, like converted pick-up trucks used as anti-tank launchers, as it tries to make up for ammunition and weapons shortages.

Ukrainian drone operators also say that one-pound candy bombs that can be used against armored vehicles are in use, and that they can drop them onto Russian tanks from above to destroy the vehicles.

These bombs have copper and aluminum inside, which turns into jets of hot plasma when the explosives detonate, penetrating the armor, The Economist reported.

Ukraine has reported shortages of key ammunition as it pushes back against Russia's full-scale invasion, which started in February 2022. Its allies, like the US and Europe, say they are struggling to keep up with demand.

But Ukraine's stocks of raw explosives remain high, The Economist reported, allowing for battlefield innovation like the 3D-printed candy bombs.

Read the original article on Business Insider