Ukraine says it has used an adapted air-to-air missile fired from an uncrewed surface vessel (USV), better known as a drone boat, to down a Russian Mi-8 Hip helicopter over the Black Sea earlier today. While the results of the engagement haven’t been independently verified, they have been confirmed by Russian military bloggers, suggesting this is actually the first time that a USV has been used successfully to bring down an aircraft of any kind.
A historic strike: @DI_Ukraine warriors destroyed an aerial target using a Magura V5 naval drone.
A russian Mi-8 helicopter was destroyed using R-73 “SeeDragon” missiles near Cape Tarkhankut in temporarily occupied Crimea.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, the historic engagement took place near Cape Tarkhankut in Russian-occupied Crimea. The missile was fired from a Magura V5 USV operated by the Main Directorate of Intelligence’s (GUR) Group 13 unit. Another Russian helicopter, type undisclosed, was reportedly damaged and returned to its airfield. The missile in question, an R-73 (AA-11 Archer) air-to-air missile, has now received the name “Sea Dragon” in its surface-launched naval application.
In the video, one of the drone boats can be seen being hosed with machine gun fire, while at least one of the targeted Mi-8s can be seen releasing infrared flares in an effort to evade the heat-seeking missile.
A still from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence video shows a Russian helicopter apparently in the sights of the USV. Ukrainian Ministry of Defense screencap
Evidence of Ukraine arming USVs with heat-seeking air-to-air missiles began to emerge in May of 2024, as TWZreported at the time. The adaptation was apparently made to provide the USVs with a defense against the Russian helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft that are regularly used to counter them, but it also gives the drone boats a new offensive capability — in addition to their primary role of going after Russian warships and other surface vessels.
Until now, it was unclear just how practical the extemporized arrangement was. The latest Ukrainian claims suggest it has proven effective on this occasion, although there remain questions about how the weapons actually work, especially in terms of the engagement process. Speaking today, Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the GUR, confirmed that there had been several previous unsuccessful efforts to engage Russian helicopters using R-73-armed USVs.
The smoke trail left by a n R-73 missile as it heads toward its target, as seen in a still from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence video. Ukrainian Ministry of Defense screencap
A large splash shows the apparent demise of the Russian helicopter. Ukrainian Ministry of Defense screencap
The R-73 short-range air-to-air missile that is used to arm some of Ukraine’s Magura V5 USVs is potentially a capable surface-to-air weapon, too. As we described when the modification first emerged, the high-off-boresight (HOBS) seeker on the R-73 can articulate a considerable distance in any direction: aided by a helmet-mounted sight, the Archer can be launched in air-to-air engagements against targets with off-boresight angles of +/-75 degrees. This gives the R-73 the potential to be a particularly potent, albeit improvised threat for locking onto and engaging dynamic targets with minimal assisting sensors when used in a surface-launched form.
Previous photos confirm that a pair of R-73s can be mounted on angled rails attached to the rear of the USV.
A still from a Russian Ministry of Defense video shows a single R-73 on one of two angled rails mounted on the rear of the USV. Russian Ministry of Defense screencap
It should also be noted that there several precedents for air-to-air missiles — including the R-73 in particular — being adapted for surface launch. The Yemen-based Houthi militants have adapted R-73s for surface launch against aircraft targets, and used them in combat, as you can read about here. The Houthis added a commercial FLIR as part of that extemporized air defense solution, which has been used to great effect, and it would appear Ukraine has adopted a similar approach for its drone boats.
A schematic diagram of the R-73 missile. Public Domain
Ukraine, too, has adapted the R-73 for ground launch, adding the missile to the Cold War-era, Soviet-made 9K33 Osa (SA-8 Gecko) mobile short-range air defense system (SHORADS). You can read more about that adaptation here.
Close-up of an R-73 missile loaded on an Osa-AKM SHORADS vehicle. Come Back Alive
Ukraine has plentiful stocks of R-73s — and likely also the older R-60s that could potentially also be adapted for launch from USVs, although the capabilities of these older missiles are inferior overall. The R-73 remains part of the standard armament for Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker fighters.
A Ukrainian MiG-29 seen with four R-73s (and a medium-range R-27 air-to-air missile) under the wing, after returning from a combat mission over eastern Ukraine on August 2, 2023. Photo by Libkos/Getty Images LIBKOS
A Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet shot down a Russian-Iranian “Shahed” drone using an R-73 air-to-air missile during a recent missile and drone attack. pic.twitter.com/faAIXnT66B
When the Magura V5 was first noted with R-73 missile armament, it was in videos released by the Russian Ministry of Defense. These showed one of the Ukrainian USVs coming under attack from a Russian Navy Ka-29 Helix-B assault helicopter. The USV performed some hard maneuvers to try and escape, but was eventually destroyed, apparently by gunfire from the helicopter.
Undated footage of the crew of a Russian BSF’s Kamov Ka-29 helicopter attempting to destroy a Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicle (USV), which appears to be equipped with a Soviet-era R-73 air-to-air missile (modified for launches from USVs).
While the missile-toting drone boat might have been unsuccessful on that occasion, as we have noted in the past, it remains a significant development and one that could impact how Russia conducts air operations over the Black Sea — especially in the case of helicopters, where the hot engines should make a good target for the infrared missile seeker heads.
Ultimately, successful use of R-73s fired from USVs could force Russian rotorcraft to operate further from the drone boats they are targeting, even if the probability of kill is not especially high, and the overall range of the missile markedly reduced from the 8.7 miles that can be achieved against a tail-on target when launched (in optimum conditions) in an air-to-air engagement.
An R-73 air-to-air missile on display. Black bands on the weapon indicate an inert round. Vitaly V. Kuzmin/Wikimdia Commons
The Russian helicopters that appear to be the favoured weapon against the Ukrainian USVs are primarily armed with heavy machine guns, unguided rockets, and potentially anti-tank guided missiles. None of these offer the standoff range that would allow the helicopters to engage USVs before coming within the engagement envelope of the R-73.
The wreckage of an R-73 on a Ukrainian USV that was washed ashore and fell into Russian hands earlier this year. via X
While we wait for independent verification of the success of the USV in shooting down a Mi-8, there’s meanwhile no doubt that the adaptation has the potential to inflict further losses on the Russian military in the Black Sea. In particular, the development complicates Russia’s actions when it comes to countering Ukrainian drone boats, providing the USVs with a deterrent and a powerful means of shooting back — more powerful than the machine-gun-armed USVs that we have previously seen in action against Russian helicopters. This is yet another calculus in the fast-evolving drone war in the Black Sea region.
Already, Ukrainian USVs have inflicted disproportionate losses on Russian surface vessels operating in the Black Sea. The latest development is a further reminder of the willingness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to improvise innovative weapons systems and to introduce these relatively rapidly to counter new and emerging threats.
