Ukrainian maritime drone Magura V5 received a modification with R-73 air-to-air missiles

Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate has revealed that the Magura V5 maritime drone has received a new modification.

Here's What We Know

Engineers integrated R-73 air-to-air missiles on the platform. Thanks to them, the marine drone can now also hit aerial targets. For example, helicopters. According to the commander of the special unit of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's GUR Group 13 with the call sign "Thirteen", such marine drones have already been used in operations and have proven themselves in combat conditions.

Flashback

Magura (Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatus) is a multi-purpose surface unmanned craft created by the Ukrainian company "SpetsTekhnoEksport" by order of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's GSD and with the assistance of the United24 platform. The Magura V5 is 5.5 metres long, 1.5 metres wide and can carry up to 320kg of payload. The marine drone has a cruising speed of almost 40 km/h and a maximum speed of more than 75 km/h. Its range exceeds 800 kilometres. In addition to combat missions, it can patrol territories, be used in search and rescue operations, provide fleet security, as well as perform reconnaissance and surveillance. Magura V5 was first presented in Turkey at the International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF 2023).

The R-73 is a low-altitude air-to-air missile with an infrared homing head designed to destroy highly manoeuvrable targets. The missile began to be used in 1984. It has high manoeuvrability and the ability to hit targets at high angles. The R-73 is widely used on MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters.

Source: GUR