Latest news with #Budanov
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Our Best Look Yet At Ukraine's AIM-9 Sidewinder-Toting Magura-7 Drone Boat
Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) released new video and details about the Magura-7 uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) the spy agency claims it used to down two Russian Su-30 Flanker multirole fighters. The revelations came during a ceremony to introduce a new stamp honoring Ukraine's USV campaign that offered our best view yet of the Magura-7 in various configurations. GUR commander 'Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, and a team of special service specialists publicly presented the Magura series of naval strike drones for the first time,' GUR stated on Telegram Thursday. The video shows a Magura-7 armed with two live AIM-9M Sidewinder infrared-guided air-to-air missiles for use as surface-to-air interceptors. TWZ was the first to report on the claimed use of AIM-9-toting Magura-7s to shoot down a pair of Flankers flying over the Black Sea, in an exclusive interview with Budanov, which you can read here. That engagement marked the first time a drone boat destroyed a combat jet. A previous image that emerged of the Magura-7 armed with two Sidewinder was much lower quality which you can see below. The boat displayed by GUR at the ceremony also features the missiles loaded on aircraft-style launch rails that would be elevated at an upward angle before launch, but they do not appear to provide any lateral traverse. This is significant since, as TWZ has pointed out previously, the M variant of the Sidewinder lacks the high-off-boresight (HOBS) capabilities of the infrared-guided R-73 (AA-11 Archer) short-range air-to-air missile. In December, GUR claimed it downed a Russian Mi-8 Hip helicopter fired from a Magura V5 USV operated by GUR's Group 13 unit. From our most recent coverage of the Magura-7: 'Missiles with HOBS engagement capability feature articulating seekers that make it easier for them to lock onto dynamic targets when loaded on a fixed launch rail. As such, the AIM-9M-armed Magura-7 looks as if it would have to be physically pointed relatively precisely in the direction of the target before launch. Meeting the parameters for a successful intercept from this platform could be very challenging, especially with the added factor of the drone boat bouncing up and down on the waves. Getting the targeted aircraft at the right height and distance to enter into the seeker's more limited viewing envelope wouldn't be that easy and it may require some amount of luck, at least based on the general launcher configuration we are seeing.' In addition to displaying a Magura-7 with two Sidewinders, GUR also showed off for the first time one of the USVs, also known as drone boats, equipped with a machine gun turret. In addition to displaying the Magura-7s, the GUR video also offered new details about these drone boats, answering questions we previously raised. As we recently surmised, it is roughly 23.5 feet long. In addition, it has a range of up to 540 nautical miles and can operate autonomously for at least 48 hours and up to seven days with a generator. Weighing more than 2,800 pounds unloaded and nearly 7,500 pounds loaded, it can carry a 1,433-pound payload. The 270 hp diesel engine can generate a top speed of 39 knots and a cruising speed of 23 knots, which it can do up to Sea State 3. Under the Beaufort Scale, that means a 'gentle breeze' of up to 10 knots and maximum wave heights of three feet. It has multiple video feeds for operators to exploit, with day/night gyro-stabilized turret — likely for general surveillance and target acquisition cueing — and two staring video systems. Its product card also listed 'acoustic environment monitoring systems.' It is controlled remotely with an encrypted satellite link, according to the card. We spotted no less than three planar satellite antenna's atop the boat's hull in previous imagery. The newly revealed specifications confirm our previous observation that the Magura-7 is larger than the Magura-5 with a greater range. The Magura-5 has a reported length of 18 feet and has a top speed of 42 knots, a cruising speed of 22 knots, and a range of 450 nautical miles. During the stamp ceremony, the commander of Group 13, GUR's drone boat unit, talked about how the campaign against Russia developed. 'It was a challenge for us to start our work from scratch,' he said, said the commander, identified only by his callsign, Thirteenth. 'Previously, there was no such experience anywhere, there was no place to draw information. But two years ago, we first hit the Russian reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs. And today we can confidently say that the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Group 13, has displaced the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation to their bases. They are constrained in their actions, they do not perform any tasks as intended.' You can watch Ukraine's video of that encounter below. When the russian reconnaissance ship "Ivan Khurs" met a Ukrainian a perfect match! — Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 25, 2023 During 'two years of combat use of various modifications of the Magura drone, the masters of military intelligence hit a total of 17 sea and air targets of the aggressor state of Russia,' Thirteenth claimed, adding that '15 of which were completely destroyed.' In addition to the aforementioned Flankers and Mi-8, that list includes 'large ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet – Sergey Kotov, Ivanovets, Tsezar Kunikov and other vessels. The damage inflicted on the enemy is estimated at more than half a billion dollars.' The War Zone cannot independently verify these claims, but there is no doubt that Ukraine's drone boats have done significant damage to Russian forces. Russian military correspondents posted the following video of the Tsezar Kunikov engagement, which took place in March 2024. Kremlin military correspondents have published a video of an alleged Ukrainian naval drone attack on the Big Landing Ship "Tsezar Kunikov" on February 14In the video, armed men try to hit surface targets with firearms, then an explosion is heard and a fire — NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 6, 2024 Ukrainian military expert Mykhailo Samus suggested that 'the evolution and combat successes of drones in the Black Sea waters are causing a revision of naval doctrines in other countries of the world.' 'It is obvious,' he surmised, 'that the classic large-tonnage fleet of the 20th century is losing to the latest unmanned vehicles. Thanks to the 'Maguras' and other naval drones, a doctrinal shift has already taken place.' Drone boats, he added, are 'a modern fleet of the 21st century. I am convinced that right now, during a large-scale war, Ukraine and the GUR of the Ministry of Defense as a leader in this regard have really made a revolution…Patrolling the sea area, controlling sea communications, destroying air and sea targets… All this is already a reality. This is a new doctrine that has become a reality in Ukraine.' The success of Ukraine's USV program is not lost on the U.S. Navy. GUR's drone boat campaign was a major topic of conversation earlier this month at the (Special Operations Forces) SOF Week conference held earlier this month in Tampa. Several drone boats, like the one in the video below, were displayed for SOF leaders. 'We've learned a lot from international partners and current events,' Navy Cmdr. Michael Linn said during a PEO Maritime panel at the conference. 'So I want to make sure that we're prioritizing rapid, iterative improvements and adaptations that are critical to success. You know, everyone likely saw the news out of Ukraine … that a Magura 7 USV shot down an SU-30 fighter with a SAM. That's another major milestone coming out of [Ukraine].' It remains unclear how many Magura-7s GUR is operating, how many are fitted with AIM-9s or machine guns or the exact role anticipated for the machine gun-equipped variants. 'Sorry, but that information is classified,' Budanov told us. Contact the author: howard@
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Moment Ukraine takes out Russian fighter jet with sea drone in world first
A Ukrainian marine drone carrying air-to-air missiles shot down a Russian fighter jet last week in what was described by Ukraine's Defence Intelligence Chief as a 'historic moment'. A member of Ukraine's special forces was guiding the Magura V7 sea vehicle in Black Sea waters close to the Russian port town of Novorossiysk on May 2 when it registered a Russian aircraft streaking overhead. Stunning heads-up display footage released by Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency showed the moment the drone unleashed a US-supplied AIM-9 sidewinder infrared guided missile and scored a direct hit on the jet - a Su-30SM multirole fighter. It is believed to be the first time in history that a seaborne military drone has scored a kill on a fixed-wing fighter aircraft. The hitherto unrealised feat was repeated minutes later when a second Magura drone scored a kill on another Su-30. The Magura V7 marine drone is based on the same platform as the Magura V5, which has been used to great effect by Ukraine's armed forces to terrorise Russia 's Black Sea naval fleet, but has been modified for air defence missions. Each drone is reported to cost just over £200,000 - a paltry sum in comparison to the cost per unit of the advanced supermanoeuvrable Su-30SM, which comes in at roughly £37 million. The crew of the first Su-30SM managed to eject and were plucked from the murky waters of the Black Sea by a Russian civilian ship, according to Budanov and Russian military bloggers. The crew of the second jet were not so lucky and went down with their plane, Ukrainian officials said. Stunning heads-up display footage released by Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency showed the moment the drone unleashed a US-supplied AIM-9 sidewinder infrared guided missiles and scored a direct hit on the jet Hours after the shootdowns, the GUR released a triumphant statement commemorating the successful air defence mission. 'On May 2, 2025, the special unit of the GUR of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, in cooperation with the SBU and the Defence Forces of Ukraine, eliminated a Russian Su-30 in the Black Sea – this is the first destruction of a combat aircraft by a naval drone in the world. 'The historic strike was carried out by soldiers of the special forces unit of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry Group 13 with a Magura unmanned maritime platform missile,' the statement read. 'The fighter plane of the aggressor state of Russia, which has an estimated cost of about $50 million, burst into flames in the air and eventually fell into the sea – to the bottom, and into the possession of ruthless Neptune.' Russia's defence ministry did not respond to the incident but a slew of prominent Russian military blogging channels appeared to verify the Ukrainian claims. The downing of the Su-30s came on the night of May 2 as part of a wider assault on Novorossiysk, whose mayor declared a state of emergency on Saturday. While the Magura drones shot down Russian aircraft, airborne unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) battered the port city. Andrei Kravchenko announced his decision on his official Telegram account which showed him inspecting the damage to apartment buildings and giving orders to officials. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv on the attack, but Ukraine's air force said Russia had launched its own attacks on Ukrainian positions overnight with some 183 drones and two ballistic missiles. Astonishing footage, filmed by a GoPro camera, shows the Russian crew of the Caesar Kunikov large landing ship fighting its last battle with Ukrainian marine drones off the coast of Crimea The Caesar Kunikov explodes after being hit by Magura seaborne drones The efficacy of the Magura sea drone as an air defence platform is the latest display of military innovation springing from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In February 2024, the Magura V5 variant was used to sink a Russian ship in the Black Sea. A GoPro video, taken by sailors aboard the doomed Caesar Kunikov, showed in shocking detail how the navy men desperately tried to fight off the oncoming drones in an intense 20-minute sea battle before their vessel was destroyed in a fiery explosion. The hellish, chaotic scene saw a small group of seamen unloading their weapons into the murky water. Explosions rang out around them as the drones one by one slammed into the ship's hull and lit up the night sky. The ship powerless to defend against a flotilla of the high-speed, high-explosive and cheap Magura V5 drones controlled by operators hundreds of miles away.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Crew of Russian Su-30 downed by surface drones confirmed dead – Ukraine's spy chief
The crew of the second Russian Su-30 fighter jet shot down by Ukrainian naval drones near Crimea on 2 May has been confirmed dead. Source: Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), in an interview with The War Zone (TWZ), a defence and military technology news outlet Details: Budanov described the downing of two Su-30s as a historic milestone for Ukraine's defence forces. He stated that Group 13, a special unit within the DIU, was responsible for destroying the aircraft using AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles launched from Magura-7 uncrewed surface vessels. Quote from the TWZ: "Budanov said that the crew of the first Su-30 survived and was picked up in the Black Sea by a civilian ship. Preliminary reports say the crew of the second jet was killed, he added." Quote from Budanov: "We use a couple of models [of missiles] on our Magura-7, but the best results [come from] the AIM-9." For reference: The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a US-made air-to-air missile with an infrared homing system. Background: On 2 May, a special DIU unit, in cooperation with Ukraine's Security Service and the defence forces, shot down a Russian Su-30 using surface drones equipped with air-to-air missiles in the Black Sea near the port of Novorossiysk. Later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the downing of a second Russian aircraft within 24 hours, also over occupied Crimea. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Daily Mirror
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Ukraine reveals 'world first' after downing £38m Putin Su-30 warplanes
Footage shows a Ukrainian strike on one of two Russian Su-30 warplanes, costing £38 million, in what is a world first using missiles launched from high-speed unmanned boats Ukraine has revealed how it downed two £38 million Putin Su-30 multi-role fighters in the Black Sea - using missiles launched from high-speed unmanned boats in Russian waters. The strikes from marine drones are a world first, and a major humiliation for the Russian dictator with Lt-Gen Kyrylo Budanov saying: 'It's a historical moment.' A video shows the first strike on the Su-30 - known as Flanker - from a Magura-7 drone which struck near key Russian naval port Novorossiysk. It was hit with an AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared-guided air-to-air missile fired from the unmanned boat by a remote controller. The two pilots ejected and were rescued by a civilian ship, according to reports. There is no visual evidence of the second strike, by the same missile type but in a separate strike. Lt-Gen Budanov said the Russian crew were believed to have been killed. Earlier reports from Ukraine suggested the first plane was downed by an adapted infrared-guided R-73 short-range air-to-air missile. The AIM-9 Sidewinder was supplied to Ukraine by the US. Ukraine has repeatedly used maritime drones to inflict heavy losses on Russian naval power in the Black Sea. Earlier the Ukrainian GUR military intelligence directorate said: 'This is the first destruction of a combat aircraft by a sea drone in the world,' said the GUR. The historic strike was carried out by soldiers of the GUR special unit of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine Group 13 with a missile from an unmanned sea platform Magura. 'The multi-purpose fighter of the aggressor state Russia, whose estimated cost is about $50 million [USD], burst into flames in the air and eventually fell into the sea…. 'The successful strike on the enemy combat aircraft took place in the water area near the port in the city of Novorossiysk, where Muscovites hid the remains of their Black Sea Fleet.' On December 31 last year a Magura V5 missile sea drone downed two Russian Mi-8 helicopters, another world first. Lt-Gen Budanov told War Zone media: 'We use a couple of models [of missiles] on our Magura-7, but the best results [come from] the AIM-9.' Meanwhile, a Russian drone attack overnight on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, wounded 11 people, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said Sunday. Two children were among the wounded. The attack woke up Valentyna Fesiuk, an 83-year-old resident of Kyiv's Obolon district. 'I was just sleeping when the house shook. It was at 12:30. An apartment on the 12th floor caught fire,' she said. The car of another resident, Viacheslav Khotab, caught fire. 'I saw my car burning. I was covered with broken glass,' he said. 'I couldn't do anything.' The 54-year-old was frustrated with stalled peace negotiations: 'They can't agree on anything, and we are the ones who suffer the consequences.' Daryna Kravchuk, an 18-year-old student in the district, described how 'five to six minutes after the air raid was activated, we heard a strong impact, everything started shaking. ... There were three strikes almost in a row after the air raid was activated. It's very scary to witness, we have been suffering from this for so long. People are just suffering all the time. ... It's still very hard to see our country constantly being destroyed."
Business Insider
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Insider
Ukraine said it downed fighter jets with drone boats for the 'first time in history,' destroying two $50 million Russian aircraft
Ukraine said it shot down two Russian fighter jets with naval drones, describing it as the "first time in history" the technology had destroyed a crewed combat aircraft. A Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR) special operations unit said on Saturday that it destroyed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet in the Black Sea on Friday by using a missile launched from a naval drone. Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the GUR, then told The War Zone that a second Russian Su-30 was also downed by the missiles from the naval drones in the attack. The Su-30 fighter jets are estimated to cost about $50 million per unit. The GUR shared a video of an aircraft in the sky that appears to have been shot from below, which shows an aircraft-shaped object breaking apart and falling. The GUR said the strike was carried out by a missile launched from a Magura naval drone platform, which can carry missiles that the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence previously said would target Russian aircraft. Budanov told The War Zone that Ukraine used the Magura-7 version of the naval drone and that it used AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared-guided air-to-air missiles. The Su-30 is a multirole fighter that can do both air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks. Ukraine has destroyed others in its fight back against Russia's invasion. The GUR said the jet on Friday "was engulfed in flames mid-air before crashing into the sea" after the attack, which was done in coordination with the Security Service of Ukraine and the Defence Forces of Ukraine. It said the strike happened near Russia's Novorossiysk port in Western Russia. Russia previously moved many of its vessels there from Sevastopol, the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian region of Crimea, as Ukraine damaged so many of its vessels there with attacks. Ukraine has also launched attacks on Novorossiysk. Ukraine has developed a fleet of naval drones that have menaced Russia's navy. They, along with Ukraine's other weaponry, have allowed Ukraine to largely neutralize Russia's Black Sea Fleet without having any real navy of its own. The naval drones have also caused problems for Russia in the skies. Ukraine said in December that it destroyed a Russian helicopter with a naval drone for the first time, saying a Magura was used in that attack too. A spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Defence did not immediately respond to a Business Insider request for comment.
