Ukraine unveils new Magura sea drones capable of destroying enemy ships and aircraft
Photo: a new generation of Magura V7 maritime drones (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
For the first time, Ukraine's military intelligence has demonstrated a new generation of Magura V7 maritime drones. The same ones that recently shot down 2 Russian Su-30 fighters.
Ukrainian Magura drones of previous generations successfully hit 16 Russian ships in the Black Sea, 9 of which were destroyed. And on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2024, they destroyed two Mi-8 helicopters and damaged a third for the first time.
As for the Magura V7, the new family of maritime drones shot down two Russian Su-30 fighters for the first time in history. It happened on May 2, 2025.
According to Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, over the past three years, Magura drones have become a modern tool that is also constantly being improved. However, the key to success remains the professional work of the DIU's fighters. According to the fighters of Group 13 (Hunters for Russian ships), the result was that the Russian fleet was pushed out of the western part of the Black Sea and driven to permanent deployment points. Now the Russian ships are constrained in their actions and do not fulfill their intended tasks.
Magura V7s are capable of covering a distance of about 800 km, armed with turrets and missiles for air targets.
"You see air defense missiles, and it speaks for itself. We are beginning to push the Russians out of the air over the Black Sea," Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov told reporters.
Asked how exactly the Russian planes were shot down, he said it was thanks to new Ukrainian technological solutions.
Magura destroys Su-30 for the first time in history
In early May, it became known that fighters of the DIU Group 13 special unit shot down a Russian combat aircraft with a missile from the Magura unmanned maritime platform. The successful strike was carried out in the Black Sea, just west of the port in the city of Novorossiysk, where Russians are hiding the remains of their Black Sea Fleet. Another Su-30 was shot down near the occupied Crimea.
As a rule, Russians use combat aircraft against the Ukrainian Magura. At the presentation of the new generation, representatives of Ukraine's intelligence said that this seems to be a way to counteract airplanes and helicopters.
Earlier, the Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the downing of the Russian Su-30 was made possible by adapting the AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared-guided air-to-air missiles for launch from Magura maritime drones.
In addition, the Sea Battle. The Age of Drones documentary showed at least 2 other types of maritime drones that differ from Magura. One of them is equipped with a classic boat engine with blades instead of a water cannon drive, and it is equipped with four containers for launching FPV drones.
DIU representative Yevhen Yerin announced the improvements to Magura drones and advised Russians not to relax in the Black Sea.
