A footage of a Czech-made Z-137 agricultural aircraft fitted with two R-73 within visual range air-to-air missiles flying by was shared on Ukrainian sources.
Another application of the R-73 missiles in Ukraine’s inventory has turned out to be agricultural aircraft seemingly re-purposed for UAV interception. The footage was shared on Ukrainian Telegram channels.
An agricultural aircraft comes with the advantages of less runway demand (Both in distance and quality of the surface), ease of landing, and cost compared to a fighter jet when it comes to air-to-air interception of UAVs like Geran-2. However, the shallow magazine of two missiles and the high cost per missile render this method a rather questionable one.
Considering the fact that the VAMPIRE C-UAS system, using the much cheaper laser-guided APKWS rockets, is in use by Ukraine; this idea might eventually evolve to laser-guided rockets on cheap aircraft for air-to-air interception of UAVs later on.
Success of R-73 on USVs
While this integration is questionable in effectiveness, one that has seen success is the integration of R-73 missiles on USVs to ambush low-flying aircraft over the Black Sea. A Ukrainian USV managed to shoot down a Russian Mi-8 helicopter with an apparent use of onboard optics for guidance assist. Later on, another USV fitted with the U.S.-made AIM-9 missiles shot down a Russian Su-30 fighter jet. These incidents have taught us that placing a USV with short-range anti-air missiles that gives out a minimal signature (Physical and emission) is suitable for ambushing low-flying and mostly unsuspecting aircraft.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
