Russian MiG-29 Fitted With An 'Interceptor Drone' Is A Laughable Mess

Yahoo

2 days ago

Bizarre footage has emerged from Russia and is circulating on social media showing what's claimed to be part of an experiment to integrate a counter-uncrewed aerial system (CUAS) interceptor drone on a MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter. On closer inspection, the quadcopter drone is lashed to the fighter using zip ties and, even if that weren't the case, the practicality of the solution is extremely questionable — to say the least. But it is certainly not the first example of a Russian weapons manufacturer creating an ultimately laughable PR stunt.
Relevant for combat or just PR? Russia's Project Archangel is showing the "integration" of their CUAS interceptor drone with a fighter jet "…so that the interceptor can be "piloted" by a jet fighter crew." But the drone is zip tied to the plane, so… https://t.co/1cDyPcImGE pic.twitter.com/Oi3TIivs35
— Samuel Bendett (@sambendett) August 10, 2025
The video was made by Project Archangel, a Russian volunteer group that has dedicated itself to 'the creation of UAVs,' mostly of the first-person view (FPV) type. These kinds of drones have become a signature weapon of the war in Ukraine, widely used by both sides, and with an increasing array of different launch platforms.
The footage shows one of Archangel's quadcopter interceptor drones mounted under the outer wing of a Russian Aerospace Forces MiG-29SMT (izdeliye 9.19R). The jury-rigged installation involves the drone being attached to a sensor housing for the jet's radar warning receiver system, held secure there by commercial-type zip ties. Clearly, there is no way for the jet to actually launch the drone with this kind of setup, and clearing a drone for air-launch would require extensive trials, regardless.
There is nothing to indicate the drone would survive the rigors of high-speed jet flight — especially given that it's fitted with four vulnerable propellers. In fact, it's doubtful if the jet would even be able to safely take off with a drone fixed to it in this manner. Then there is the very real possibility that it might interfere with the host aircraft's self-protection system, which it is attached to.
Otherwise, the video shows a member of the Archangel team sitting in the cockpit of the Fulcrum. It concludes with a takeoff by a Flanker-series fighter, with no evidence that this aircraft is fitted with an interceptor drone.
The date and location of the video are not disclosed, but it's worth noting that the Russian Ministry of Defense ordered a batch of just 14 MiG-29SMT (9.19R) fighters in 2014, making use of uncompleted airframes at Mikoyan's Moscow factory. They were delivered to the training base at Privolzhsky near Astrakhan and are not known to have seen any combat use in Ukraine.The precise relationship between Project Archangel and the Russian Armed Forces is not entirely clear, but the group is one of several that have been set up since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with the aim of rapidly producing large numbers of FPV drones, harnessing commercial expertise and manufacturing capacity.
Back in late 2023, drone expert Samuel Bendett postulated that Project Archangel was receiving Russian Ministry of Defense funding, as it increasingly embraced the opportunities offered by private initiatives of this type.
In the past, Archangel has claimed that its quadcopter interceptor drone can reach a speed of up to 350 kilometers per hour (217 miles per hour) and fly over a distance of 50 kilometers (31 miles). These claims have not been verified. However, counter-air drones have to fly faster and higher than their standard FPV counterparts used for striking ground targets.
The Russians has created Archangel interceptor drones to destroy UAVs and naval drones.It is claimed that the drone exists in 4 modifications, develops a speed of up to 350 km/h and has a range of 50 km. Equipped with a warhead from 650 to 2,500 grams. pic.twitter.com/2gV8TTKpIE
— MAKS 25
(@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) August 11, 2025
As for the group's latest claim, this states that it's working to 'integrate interceptor drones directly onto fighter jets.'
In a statement on its Telegram channel, Archangel says: 'After a long search for the ideal location for our guided interceptors (which, incidentally, is still ongoing), we decided to place the interceptor on MiGs.'
The statement continues: 'Of course, the aircraft itself moves a little faster than our drone's cruising speed, but it can deliver the interceptor directly to Kyiv or Lviv.' This is an entirely unrealistic aspiration, not least considering the extensive Ukrainian air defense threats concentrated on these locations, which Russian fighters do not operate even near. Even approach the front is a very dangerous game for fighters at this time.
Putting aside the fact that the drone, using the installation illustrated, is entirely immobile on the aircraft, it's by no means clear how it would be operated if it were able to be released.
'The communication issue has been resolved in a radical way,' Archangel claims. 'In order not to rack our brains over the technical part, we simply trained our crew to fly a fighter jet.'
The final statement, which suggests that drone operators would be retrained to fly a complex and extremely expensive fighter jet, is frankly implausible. At the same time, it also stretches credibility that the pilot of any single-seat fighter would be able to manually direct a drone to slam into a moving target, especially an aerial one.
After all, the vast majority of FPV drones that go after moving targets or targets of opportunity are equipped with man-in-the-loop control. This means someone is manually flying (or more like directing) these weapons in real time and selecting their targets, normally using a headset. It also requires a continuous line-of-sight datalink between the drone and its controller. FPV drones that are not controlled in this manner are assigned to hit fixed targets, basically a set of coordinates on the map, which would be irrelevant for the drone-interception mission.
For now, we can say with confidence that there is next to no chance of Russia using fighter jets to send interceptor drones into battle against hostile UAS in the skies over Ukraine any time soon. That said, there's no doubt that Russia is increasingly looking at the potential for using drones to intercept other hostile drones.
Meanwhile, there are certainly moves to develop air-launched FPVs, as well as loitering munitions, and more advanced 'air launched effects' (ALEs), with a degree of blurring between the definitions of these. Ultimately, these will become a more common capability on a range of aircraft types, but this effort from Archangel is clearly highly aspirational at best.
Whether strapping an interceptor drone to an antenna on a MiG-29 might help boost Project Archangel's profile is questionable. But it does underscore the fact that defenses against drones are a very high-profile issue in Russia.
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