Double Kill Confirmed In First Use Of Naval Drone Missiles

UPDATE: This updates a previously published article on the Ukrainian naval drone shooting a missile to bring down a Russian helicopter.

The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence agency (DIU) has confirmed that two Russian Mi-8 helicopters were shot down and a third was damaged by missiles fired from a naval drone in the first-of-its-kind combat engagement with drone weapons being deployed in an aerial attack. The agency also confirmed that the crews of both helicopters were killed.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry had posted a video on X showing one of the Russian Mi-8 helicopters firing at the Magura V5 drone boat before the drone fired an R-73 Sea Dragon missile that brought it down in the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea.

The social media post said, "A Russian Mi-8 helicopter was destroyed using R-73 [Sea Dragon] missiles near Cape Tarkhankut in temporarily occupied Crimea. Another enemy helicopter was damaged and returned to the airfield.”

However as noted, the video showed only the one helicopter being brought down.

The Defense Ministry put music to the video, the Christmas song “Carol of the Bells,” originally composed by Ukrainian musician Mykola Leontovych in the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. Pokrovsk is a key target for Russia in the ongoing war with Ukraine.

The missiles used in the strike were R-73 Sea Dragons, a short-range infrared-guided air-to-air weapon that the Ukrainian forces have adapted to be launched from naval drones.

FMI:  www.kmu.gov.ua/