For the first time in Ukraine, a Russian Shahed drone was discovered carrying an R-60 air-to-air missile. Photos of the wreckage confirmed the missile and launch rail mounted under one wing.
Russia started employing Shahed/Geran-type long-range UAVs equipped with air-to-air missiles for combating Ukrainian aviation assets, Ukrainian military radio technology expert Serhii Flash reports.
The remains of a Shahed/Geran-type drone with an R-60 short-range air-to-air… pic.twitter.com/NHBDQQqCK9
— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) December 1, 2025
Reports say the R-60, a Soviet-era short-range infrared-guided missile similar to the U.S. Sidewinder, was modified to target Ukrainian fighter jets pursuing unmanned aerial vehicles.
Ukraine also uses drones armed with R-60 missiles to successfully target Russian fighter jets.
Analysts warn that Russia’s use of R-60-equipped Shahed drones poses a threat to civilian aviation. “There is a risk Russia may shoot down an airliner using a Shahed and blame it on Ukrainian jets,” open-source Ukraine Battle Map noted.
Russia equipped Shaheds with R-60 short-range air-to-air missiles
In Romania 🇷🇴 and Moldova 🇲🇩 civilian airliners carrying hundreds fly regularly <35km from Ukraine 🇺🇦 at times <10km
There is a risk Russia may shoot down an airliner using a Shahed and blame it on Ukrainian jets pic.twitter.com/PZCKsMEMZg
— Ukraine Battle Map (@ukraine_map) December 1, 2025
The modified Shahed was reportedly shot down by a Ukrainian-made Sting anti-drone interceptor.
Developed by the Wild Hornets team, Sting is a small interceptor designed to target Shahed-style drones and bears similarities to the Octopus interceptor drones being mass-produced in collaboration with the United Kingdom.
⚡️Ще один ексклюзив.
Батальйон Darknode 412-ї бригади Nemesis збив Шахед, який ніс на собі авіаційну ракету Р-60.
Ймовірно, так ворог намагається протидіяти нашій вертолітній авіації. Втім, рішення наразі сумнівне.Але от дрони проти Шахедів – рішення робоче!
ДОНАТЬТЕ НА… https://t.co/4xoImIMP30 pic.twitter.com/kWnwScK8rj
— Serhii Sternenko ✙ (@sternenko) December 1, 2025
Alex Roslin, foreign support coordinator for Wild Hornets, told Business Insider that this was the first time a Sting interceptor successfully shot down a Shahed-type drone armed with an air-to-air missile.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported Tuesday that the Sting has also recently downed several Russian Geran-3 drones, a jet-powered kamikaze drone capable of speeds of 550–600 km/h (342–373 mph) and a range of about 2,500 km (1,550 miles). Details of the strikes were not provided.
Ukrainian interceptor drone downs jet-powered Shahed kamikaze drone.
📹: 1129th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment pic.twitter.com/oCSKb7ffs2
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) December 2, 2025
