In a bold new milestone in modern warfare, Ukraine claims it has destroyed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet over the Black Sea using a sea-based drone — a global first.

“This is the first time in the world that a combat aircraft has been destroyed by a marine drone,” Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence announced on Saturday. According to the statement, the jet caught fire mid-air before plunging into the sea.

The drone strike reportedly occurred Friday near Novorossiysk, a vital Russian port city and home to remnants of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Ukraine’s Magura sea drone, developed by Ukrainian engineers and the military, was credited with the attack.

Though CNN has not independently verified the claim and Russia’s defense ministry has remained silent, a prominent Russian military blogger known as Fighterbomber supported the account. On Telegram, he described how over 30 Ukrainian sea drones swarmed the area. After the jet was hit, the crew ended up in the water, surrounded by enemy drones.

Ukraine has increasingly relied on drones to counter Russia’s military edge in manpower and naval power, especially after losing its functional Black Sea navy in the wake of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion in 2022.

The Magura V5 drone, which can be remotely piloted using Starlink and pre-programmed for long-range missions, has already been used with lethal effect. In December, Ukraine claimed the Magura V5 was used to destroy two Russian helicopters — another world first.

These drones are notoriously hard to detect in open waters, giving Ukraine a stealthy advantage in targeting Russian assets.

This latest strike adds to Ukraine’s growing track record of drone warfare success. In February 2024, Ukraine said it sank the Ivanovets, a Russian guided-missile ship, using 10 Magura drones — six of which hit their target.

Back in April 2022, Ukraine struck one of its most symbolic victories when its forces sank the Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, giving Kyiv a critical morale boost early in the war.

Following the Ivanovets attack, CNN was granted rare access to the secretive Ukrainian sea drone unit responsible. One drone pilot revealed how difficult the Magura drones are to detect, especially in open sea, making it nearly impossible for Russian forces to defend against them.

Ukraine’s strategic shift to drone technology may be redefining naval and aerial combat. With the apparent downing of a Russian fighter jet by a sea drone, Kyiv continues to demonstrate that innovation and precision can challenge even the most powerful militaries.

Dource: CNN – Ukraine claims it destroyed Russian fighter jet using seaborne drone for the first time

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Ukraine has announced the development of a laser weapon capable of shooting down aircraft from more than a mile away. The weapon, named Tryzub, was revealed by Vadym Sukharevskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, at a defense summit in Kyiv this week. He shared that the laser can target and destroy aircraft flying at altitudes over 2 kilometers (1.2 miles).

Sukharevskyi confidently stated, “It truly works, it truly exists,” emphasizing that the weapon’s capabilities are actively being enhanced. The name Tryzub, meaning “trident” in Ukrainian, symbolizes the nation’s independence, strength, and unity.

While specific details about the Tryzub system were not provided, experts have suggested that the development of such a weapon is plausible. Patrick Senft, an expert at Armament Research Services, a consultancy focused on armament research, noted that directed-energy weapons (DEWs) like Tryzub are indeed achievable. “It is entirely feasible for Ukraine to develop a functional directed-energy weapon capable of destroying aerial targets,” Senft explained. He pointed out that commercial, off-the-shelf welding lasers, combined with other available technologies, could make this possible, similar to the U.S. Navy’s Laser Weapons System (LaWS), which has been operational since 2014.

How the Tryzub Laser Works and Its Effectiveness Against Drones

Directed-energy weapons like Tryzub are particularly effective against slow, low-flying drones, which are common in Russia’s aerial attacks. These drones are vulnerable to heat due to their fragile components. Senft explained that low-flying UAVs, like the Shahed-136/Geran-2 drones, are especially susceptible to sustained laser exposure due to their steady flight patterns. The weapon can concentrate energy on a specific point, targeting vital components of the drone.

However, Senft also highlighted key limitations of such systems. The speed of the target and the energy loss over distance pose challenges. Fast-moving or heat-resistant targets, such as artillery shells or ballistic missiles, require more advanced systems to neutralize.

Technical Challenges of Deploying Laser Systems

While the Tryzub laser may be effective against drones, Fabien Hoffmann, an expert from the Oslo Nuclear Project (ONP), noted several technical challenges in using lasers against drones or missiles. These challenges include ensuring sufficient laser beam strength, managing the cooling of the system, and dealing with atmospheric conditions like clouds, rain, or thermal blooming. Thermal blooming occurs when the laser beam heats the surrounding air, causing the energy to disperse and reducing its effectiveness.

“To assess how effective it is in a missile defense role, we’ll need to see how it performs in practice,” Hoffmann added.

Global Laser Weapons Development

Ukraine’s Tryzub joins a small group of nations that have developed or are developing laser weapons. The U.S., China, and Israel are known to have operational laser systems, with the UK also working on its own laser system, DragonFire. Set to be operational in 2027, the DragonFire system could potentially be deployed in Ukraine to counter Russian drones, according to former UK Defense Minister Grant Shapps.

As countries around the world continue to explore directed-energy weapons, the successful deployment and effectiveness of Ukraine’s Tryzub laser will be closely monitored as a potential game-changer in modern warfare.

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