Ukraine scores first hit on a helicopter from an unmanned sea drone

Drone avoids Russian fire to damage attack helicopters

Ukraine continues to push the boundaries of modern military technology in its defense from Russian attacks. In a groundbreaking move, Ukrainian forces have used high-speed unmanned naval drones equipped with anti-aircraft missiles to take down two manned Russian aircraft.

Ukrainian special operations scored a victory by destroying a manned aircraft with a long-range naval drone near Crimea’s western coast during the early hours of the morning. The dramatic nighttime footage, released by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR), shows a Ukrainian Magura V5 naval drone navigating through rough seas while under fire from Russian Mi-8 helicopters.

One helicopter downed, another damaged

HUR reported that the engagement occurred near Cape Tarkhankut, the westernmost point of Russian-occupied Crimea. The footage captures the drones launching multiple R-73 SeeDragon missiles – a Soviet-era air-to-air missile adapted for naval use by Ukraine. The drones successfully downed one Mi-8 helicopter and damaged another, forcing it to retreat.

The video showcases two missile launches, one of which resulted in a direct hit. The drones also appeared to fire machine guns at the Russian helicopters, although the results of this fire were unclear. HUR later released a recording of a Russian pilot acknowledging the hit by one of the seaborne anti-aircraft missiles, highlighting the effectiveness of Ukraine’s innovative military tactics.

(Michael Leahy. Source: Kyiv Post. Photo: Alexey Belkin)