Over more than three years of conflict, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have adopted an asymmetric approach to naval warfare in the Black Sea to counter the Russian Navy’s superiority in air and naval assets. This strategy has led to the deployment of a growing fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) of the Magura family, which have progressively incorporated enhanced capabilities and U.S.-supplied missiles.
Regarding this point, and aiming to clarify previously released information, it has been confirmed that Magura V7 naval drones are equipped with AIM-9X air-to-air missiles rather than the earlier presumed AIM-9L/M versions. The confirmation came from Brigadier General Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (GUR), who provided an overview of the operations and asymmetric assets used in the Black Sea against Russian Naval Forces during an interview with the defense-focused outlet The War Zone.
In this context, and in connection with the shootdown of a Russian Su-30 fighter jet last May, the senior official corrected previously released information regarding the type of air-to-air missile used by the Magura V7 drones, telling the outlet that AIM-9X missiles supplied by the United States were used. These were employed in an attack on a pair of the mentioned fighter jets—one of which evaded the missile, while the other did not.
The information provided by the senior commander corrects earlier reports based on data from the GUR itself, which had officially released images of these naval drones equipped with a previous version of the Sidewinder missile. That earlier model may have been used for testing, evaluation, or possibly as a propaganda tool.
Regardless, the unmanned naval platforms deployed by Ukraine in the Black Sea show a clear evolution. For instance, Magura V5 drones were the first to be equipped with R-73 air-to-air missiles, originally designed for use by fighter aircraft.
In the next stage of this family’s development, the Magura V7 drones are now being equipped with AIM-9X missiles, which offer significant advantages over previous variants of the Sidewinder family. For example, according to official information from the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the AIM-9X “… is the newest in the Sidewinder family of short-range air-to-air missiles. It features a high off-boresight (HOBS) focal plane array seeker mounted on a highly maneuverable airframe and incorporates a greatly enhanced infrared counter-countermeasures capability.” This latter feature was not present in the L/M variant, which lacks the HOBS function.
NAVAIR also adds: “The AIM-9X incorporates many components from the AIM-9M (rocket motor, warhead, and active optical target detector), but its performance far exceeds that of earlier Sidewinder versions. Unlike previous AIM-9 models, the AIM-9X can even be used against ground targets.”
Finally, based on The War Zone’s inquiries, Budanov also confirmed that the Magura V7 drones are being fitted with machine guns, although no further details were provided regarding their type or model. He also noted—albeit cautiously—that there is currently no Magura V8 version under development.
Related topic: A Ukrainian Magura V5 naval drone shot down a Russian Armed Forces Mil Mi-8 helicopter using an R-73 air-to-air missile
