Historic Strike — Ukrainian Sea Drone Takes Down Russian Helicopter
Ukraine made a floating FrankenSAM… And it’s kinda awesome.
Ukraine has once again rewritten the military technology playbook, this time with a feat that reads like the script of a Tom Clancy techno-thriller.
In a historic first, a Ukrainian Magura V5 sea drone armed with repurposed air-to-air missiles shot down a Russian Mi-8 helicopter.
Yes, you read that right: a Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicle (USV) took on armed helicopters — and won.
In the early hours of New Year’s Eve, near Cape Tarkhankut on Crimea’s western edge, Ukrainian special operators deployed their maritime marvels.
Video footage released by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) shows the Magura V5 sea drone slicing through choppy waters at high speed, dodging machine gun fire from two circling Russian Mi-8 helicopters.
As the night progressed, the drone launched R-73 “SeaDragon” missiles — Soviet-era air-to-air munitions MacGyvered for maritime use.
