Ukraine SHOCKS Putin as drone boat missiles shoot down Russian helicopter; will this change...?

The Russia-Ukraine war, which erupted in February 2022, has witnessed a rapid escalation in recent months with Russian President Vladimir Putin recently challenging the United States and other Western nations for a 'missile duel'.

Russia-Ukraine war: In a new development in the raging Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine reportedly shot down a Russian Mi-8 helicopter in the Black Sea with a surface-to-air missile fired from a drone boat. According to Ukraine, the attack took place on December 31 near Tarkhankut in Crimea, when the Russian plane was flying over the Black Sea.

Kyiv said this is the first instance when Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian plane with a drone boat. A video released by Ukraine's Ministry of Defence and intelligence showed missiles being fired from a drone boat and striking the helicopter which crashes to the ground. The Mi-8 helicopter is seen releasing releasing infrared flares to avoid heat-seeking missiles, the video shows.

According to western experts, Ukraine drone boats, which fire R-73 (AA-11 Archer) aka the Sea Dragon missiles, have inflicted substantial damage on Russian ships in the Black Sea region, while also posing a major threat to Russian helicopters and warplanes.

Ukraine began using drone boats to fire air-to-air missiles at Russian targets since May 2024.

How powerful are R-73 missiles?

The drones fire the R-73, a short-range air-to-air missile, which also serves as a surface-to-air weapon, used to target Russian aircraft. The missile features a high-off-boresight (HOBS) seeker, which can swivel a considerable distance in any direction, and was previously adapted for surface launch.

Ukraine has a large stockpile of R-73s, which are also used by the Ukrainian Air Force's MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets. Kyiv also has a stockpile of older R-60 missiles that can also be adapted for launch from drone boats.

Notably, the Yemen's Houthi rebels have also used the R-73 to target aircraft.

Russia-Ukraine war

The Russia-Ukraine war, which erupted in February 2022, has witnessed a rapid escalation in recent months with Russian President Vladimir Putin recently challenging the United States and other Western nations for a 'missile duel', and suggesting a direct test to assess the effectiveness of Russia's Oreshnik hypersonic missile against advanced air and missile defence systems in Ukrainian capital Kyiv.