INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
air-to-air missiles fired by Magura-7 drone boats, the head of the agency told The War Zone exclusively
This marks the first time fighter airecraft have been downed by drone boats and the first use of the AIM-9 from a drone boat for a
The War Zone cannot independently verify this claim.The incident took place in the Black Sea on Friday, said Budanov, who offered new
details about what happened
Previous reporting from GUR, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and Russian Telegram channels stated that one Flanker was shot down by an
Budanov said there were no videos or images of the second engagement.GUR used three Magura-7 drone boats in the attack, with two of them
firing on the jets, according to Budanov
The Magura-7 is an air defense variant of the Magura-5, he explained, declining to elaborate on the difference between the two.Budanov said
that the crew of the first Su-30 survived and was picked up in the Black Sea by a civilian ship
May 2 has been joined by a second downed Flanker
These are the first two fighter jets in history to be downed by an uncrewed surface drone, but they are unlikely to be the last
We can now add further details following statements by Lt
Naval News can reveal the previously unreported maritime drone (USV) which scored the kills.Su-30 FlankerAs a point of detail, some
statements indicated that a Magura V5 drone was used, but Naval News can confirm that it was in fact a larger Magura V7
This is the first time that the V7 variant has been revealed to the public.Naval News initially reported, before further information was
available, that the USVs likely used AA-11 Archer missiles
That configuration, known as Sea Dragon, was the only one publicly known
Now we can reveal the Sidewinder armed type.
A Mature Capability: Magura V7Magura V7 surface drone (USV) armed with two Sidewinder missiles
Note that the missiles have yellow protective covers over their seekers, indicating that it is on a test run.The Magura V7 is quite
different from the USV used to carry Sea Dragon missiles
That was a wider hull with large fixed launch rails
The V7 is essentially an enlarged Magura V5, the baseline model used to ram enemy ships with an explosive charge
It is approximately 8 meters (26 feet) long compared the the V5 at 5.5 meters (18 feet).The V7 represents a mature capability compared to
the Sea Dragon version which can be thought of as the prototype
It is cleaner and better thought out
It is unclear however whether it is exclusively armed with Sidewinder missiles or can carry other weapons.The Magura V7 shares similar lines
to the V5 version but has a reshaped bow
This feature suggests improved sea keeping, useful for operations in winter
It is seen with several communications antenna and sensors
It does not appear to have an explosive charge in the bow, due to the lack of impact detonators, but this may be configurable.
Sidewinder
Armed
The two American-made Sidewinder missiles are mounted on their aircraft launch rails, which appear to be able to be elevated for
surface drones (USVs) cannot be overstated
They are rewriting the rules of naval warfare.Sources: Naval News; The War Zone
