Killer drone in the Black Sea: Ukrainians have created a unique UAV with air defense systems on board, with «double trouble» for Russian aircraft

OSINT researcher H. I. Sutton analyzed a new Ukrainian unmanned boat with missiles on board. The expert confirms that Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels without crew dominate the Black Sea. However, until now, they have been particularly vulnerable to attacks from airplanes and helicopters, which the Russian occupiers have taken advantage of. A new version of the maritime drone, armed with two repurposed «air-to-air» missiles, could change the situation again.

The war in Ukraine has removed any doubt that drones are changing the nature of warfare. In the naval arena, Ukrainian maritime drones are the world’s leaders in terms of combat use. Explosives-equipped ships have challenged and overcome many preconceptions, and now Ukraine has deployed a completely new category of maritime drones armed with air defense missiles.

Ukrainian maritime drones were the most vulnerable to aviation. They are virtually defenseless against a helicopter with a machine gun. Now that some of them are armed with powerful air defense missiles, the Russians will think twice about approaching them.

This is the world’s first example of such a SAM installation. Manufacturers in other countries have previously explored the possibility of providing such drones with some form of air defense. But this system is the first to be put into operation and the first to take part in combat operations.

The new unmanned surface vessel differs from its missile-free predecessors by having a wider hull that allows it to carry two «air-to-air missiles» P-73. This use is similar to the trend of land-based SAM development, where Ukraine uses missiles developed for one system on another. For example, at least one photo-verified Soviet air defense system «Osa» was also equipped with R-73 missiles. These and other hybrid systems are unofficially called FrankenSAM, in honor of Frankenstein’s monster. Now R-73 missiles pose a threat to Russian aviation over water as well.

The R-73 missile, known in the West as the AA-11 Archer, is a Soviet short-range air-to-air missile. This missile, which was in service with the MiG-29 and Su-27 «Flanker» fighters, is one of the best. They are very maneuverable and have a homing head with a 40-degree deviation from a straight line. This meant that it could be used against a target that was not directly in front of the aircraft.

In the 1980s, these missiles were even more advanced than NATO equivalents. Today, the latest versions of the Sidewinder, or ASRAAM, IRIS-T are more powerful, but the P-73 remains relevant.

The compromise that will allow launching from the surface will be the range. Even if a vessel can detect an aircraft at a distance, the missile itself will have about half the range of what it would have if it were launched from the air. For the R-73, this means 15 km. But in practice, the range of detection of electro-optical devices of maritime drones is probably the main limitation.

The missiles provide the drone with a degree of self-defense against Russian helicopters and fast jets. One or two FrankenSAM boats mixed with more conventional maritime drones could be enough to thwart Russian attempts to intercept them.

The system also opens up the possibility of ambushing Russian aircraft as they take off or land at Crimean air bases. Such SAMs could hide near the Crimean coast and intercept the aircraft when it unexpectedly approaches. There is at least circumstantial evidence that this may have already been done.

Many manufacturers around the world are already imitating Ukrainian achievements. Even before the Russian-Ukrainian war, there were several proposals for similar air defense systems. The emergence of such systems in real combat conditions makes us take them more seriously.

Source: Naval News