Magura drone strike on Su-30 was coordinated by multiple units — Ukrainian expert
The missile that downed a Russian Su-30 over the Black Sea was a part of a coordinated strike by Ukrainian drones operating as a unified weapons platform, Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, an aviation expert, said in an interview with NV published on May 4.
Khrapchynskyi, who is also a former officer in Ukraine’s Air Force, and now deputy director of a miltech company, analyzed how Ukrainian army managed to hit a Russian fighter jet with a naval drone in NV's interview series Anatomy of a Kill.
On May 2, Ukraine’s military intelligence unit Group 13, in coordination with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Armed Forces, used a missile launched from a Magura maritime drone to strike a Russian Su-30 fighter jet in the Black Sea near the port of Novorossiysk. It marked the first time in history that a combat aircraft had been destroyed by a surface drone — and the news went viral within hours.
The strike by a Ukrainian surface drone on a Russian fighter jet marks a new chapter in the history of asymmetric warfare, he said.
One of the key factors in the success was that the aggressor never expected a Ukrainian surface drone to be capable of intercepting high-speed aircraft.
In his view, after Russia’s failed attempts to intercept naval drones with helicopters, the enemy switched to using fighter jets — and miscalculated.
“If you analyze the footage released by Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR),” Khrapchynskyi explained, “you can tell this missile wasn’t guided or launched from a single naval drone.”
Ukraine’s defense forces have long been exploring an approach where large numbers of drones work together as one large frigate or aircraft, says the expert.
“In other words, a platform formed by a swarm of drones that collectively perform the functions of a frigate, an air defense system, or a strike group,” he added.
“This is what future warfare will look like,” he continued, “with coordinated use of ground-based robotic systems, reconnaissance drones, strike drones, and more.” The same principle, he noted, can be applied at sea — using drones for reconnaissance, target acquisition, and even launching surface-to-air missiles or additional strikes using FPV drones, which can take out enemy coastal radar systems.
When reflecting on how exactly the Su-30 was hit, Khrapchynskyi highlighted that the missile used likely had a passive infrared homing head — meaning it homes in on the heat signature of the engine and doesn’t require external guidance.
“Available information indicated that this was likely an AIM-9 Sidewinder — an air-to-air missile adapted for launch from a naval platform,” the expert stressed. He added that in this case, once the missile locks onto the target, no further guidance is needed.
“Since the missile used by the Ukrainian side had an infrared seeker and primarily tracks the target’s heat trail,” Khrapchynskyi continued, “in the case of the Su-30 shootdown, it likely followed the jet from behind and detonated at close range, destroying it.”
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