Astonishing! Ukraine is combining R-73 air-to-air missiles on its drone boats to neutralize Russian helicopters

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Ukraine has armed its explosive drone boats with missiles, marking a major development in maritime warfare tactics.

The revelation came to light through videos released by the Russian Defense Ministry illustrating a dramatic encounter between Ukrainian unmanned surface ships (USVs) and Russian naval assets.

The images depicted a Russian Navy Ka-29 attack helicopter circling above a Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicle equipped with an infrared-guided R-73 (AA-11 Archer) short-range air-to-air missile.

Despite evasive maneuvers by the Ukrainian USV, it was eventually destroyed by gunfire from the helicopter. Detailed analysis of the footage revealed a single R-73 missile mounted on one of two angled rails at the rear of the drone boat.

The Russian report claimed that the other missile had been launched earlier in a failed attempt to shoot down a Russian Mi-8 Hip helicopter. Another video showed the interaction between the boat and the helicopter, albeit from a distance, likely filmed from another ship or warship.

The Russian Fighter Bomber Telegram channel expressed surprise, noting that the Ukrainians managed to link the missile to the USV’s remote control systems.

The Telegram channel too noted that air-to-air missiles could be used without radar or separate targeting systems. Instead, the seeker heads detect a target in the sky and focus on it.

While there have been no confirmed cases of USV-launched air-to-air missiles in combat, proponents have argued that such weapons pose a major threat, particularly to Russian helicopters, which are considered an effective countermeasure against Ukrainian USVs.

HI Sutton, a renowned Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) analyst, noted the effectiveness of the concept despite the destruction of the USV.

“Until now, the USVs have been virtually defenseless against aircraft, and Russia has air superiority over much of the Black Sea,” Sutton wrote in his blog. “The addition of air defenses on board some USVs could make it even more difficult for Russia to counter them.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine reported a successful attack with Magura V5 USVs on a Russian speedboat on the same day. The Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced that a V5 from the Ukrainian Group 13 unit had destroyed an enemy speedboat on May 6.

Effectiveness of surface-launched R-73 missiles

The move appears to be a response to the increasing use of Russian helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to counter Ukrainian drone boats, which have proven to be a potent threat to Russian warships.

The centerpiece of this development is the integration of R-73 missiles, known to NATO as the AA-11 Archer, on Ukrainian USVs. Originally designed for close-range dogfights and used by MiG-29 and Su-27 aircraft, the R-73 features advanced control surfaces and thrust vectoring, making it highly maneuverable and lethal in close-combat scenarios.

The R-73 has a high-off-boresight (HOBS) capability. Simply put, this means the seeker can detect targets up to 40° beyond the missile’s centerline and adjust its flight in any direction much further than conventional heat-seeking air-to-air missiles with seekers with limited forward visibility.

It appears that Ukraine has also found a way to leverage this HOBS capability at a distance, ensuring the weapon’s effectiveness in different scenarios.

However, adapting these missiles for USV deployment raises several questions about their effectiveness and usability. Although the R-73 boasts an air-to-air range of 30-40 km, launching it from the ground significantly impacts performance.

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HI Sutton highlighted the limitations: “It (R-73) has an air-to-air range of 30-40 km, although the theoretical surface-to-air range would be about half that. And the actual range would be limited by sensors on board, so probably much shorter.”

Despite possible limitations, Sutton believed that the R-73 could serve as an effective surface-to-air missile, especially against nearby helicopters.

So is a military blogger pointed out“This development is extremely interesting, but don’t look too hard at the numbers – air-to-air missiles take a serious hit in terms of range and speed when launched from the ground. The AIM-9D with a range of 18 km achieved a maximum range of 5 km when part of the MIM-72 Chaparral, for example.”

Nevertheless, the implications of this development could force Russian helicopters to operate at a distance from Ukrainian USVs, limiting their effectiveness in combating these unmanned vessels.

This modification could also negate the primary armament capabilities of helicopters, increasing the survivability and operational effectiveness of Ukrainian USVs in maritime confrontations.