Ukraine said it has shot down two Russian Su-30S fighter jets over the Black Sea using drone boats armed with U.S.-made AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.
According to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (GUR), the operation was carried out on Friday near the Russian port of Novorossiysk and involved three Magura-7 drone boats. A video posted online shows one of the jets crashing into the sea, while the second was also reportedly struck.
World first: On May 2, 2025, the @DI_Ukraine special operations unit, in coordination with the Security Service of Ukraine and Defence Forces of Ukraine, eliminated a russian Su-30 fighter jet in the Black Sea.
🔗 https://t.co/DXhg74AKcg pic.twitter.com/Z4fP5CFRb8
— Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (@DI_Ukraine) May 3, 2025
According to reports, one of the downed jet’s crew members was reportedly rescued by a civilian ship. The other crew is believed to have died.
GUR called the downing of two Su-30 fighter jets a historic moment for Ukraine’s defence forces. “This is the first time in the world that a combat aircraft has been destroyed by a marine drone,” GUR said in a statement on Saturday.
The Su-30SM is a multirole fighter used by the Russian Air Force, capable of both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. It carries a variety of armaments, including missiles and bombs, and is equipped with an electronic warfare system. The aircraft is believed to cost around $50 million.
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a short-range, heat-seeking missile normally launched from aircraft like the F-16. It weighs about 188 pounds and can hit targets up to 22 miles away. Ukraine has adapted these missiles to launch from drone boats by mounting them on stabilized launchers and equipping the boats with sensors to detect and track aircraft.
Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (GUR), told The War Zone that Ukraine began equipping Magura-7 sea drones with AIM-9 missiles in January.
He described the Magura-7 as an upgraded version of the Ukrainian-made Magura V5, which has been used since 2022 to target Russian naval forces, but declined to disclose specific differences between the two models.
First image of a Ukrainian Magura V7 naval drone, equipped with a pair of Western-supplied AIM-9L/M Sidewinder missiles.
The Magura V7 has claimed multiple kills on fixed and rotary wing Russian aircraft. pic.twitter.com/T0Jm0MsitV
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 4, 2025
Ukraine previously claimed to have used a Soviet R-73 missile on a drone boat to shoot down a Russian Mi-8 helicopter in December.
