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Ukrainian FPV Drones Destroy Four Russian Buk Missile Systems Worth $170 Million, Video

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Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
Author
Ukrainian FPV Drones Destroy Four Russian Buk Missile Systems Worth $170 Million, Video
Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile systems move along a street during the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia, on June 24, 2020. (Source: Getty Images)

Ukrainian drone operators, in joint missions with airborne and intelligence units, damaged and destroyed four Russian Buk surface-to-air missile systems—three in Russia’s Kursk region and another in Ukraine’s Luhansk region—during a series of precision strikes carried out within 12 hours, Unmanned Aerial Systems Command reported on April 7.

The precision strikes were carried out by the 413th Independent “Raid” Battalion in tandem with the “Zhmil” UAV detachment of the 78th Air Assault Regiment. During the mission, they successfully located and targeted three Buk air defense systems of varying configurations, including the advanced Buk-M2 and Buk-M3 models.

FPV drone crews first struck a camouflaged Buk-M2 transporter-loader vehicle hidden in a forest belt, hitting the driver’s compartment. A second drone followed up, targeting the missile container, which detonated and destroyed the entire system. The Buk-M2 system is estimated to cost around $30 million.

The 413th battalion also hit two Buk-M3 launchers, damaging their radars—an essential component used to detect and track aerial targets. Though the systems were not destroyed, the radar damage has rendered them inoperable until extensive repairs can be made.

“The destruction of radar units drastically undermines the combat effectiveness of air defense systems,” the press release noted.

The Buk-M3 (NATO reporting name: SA-17 Grizzly) is one of the most advanced mobile surface-to-air missile systems in Russia’s arsenal, capable of engaging targets at altitudes up to 35 kilometers and tracking them at distances of up to 70 kilometers. A fully equipped Buk-M3 system is estimated to cost around $45 million.

Separately, in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, the 412th Nemesis Regiment of the Drone Systems Forces tracked another Buk-M3 system in operation. Ukrainian forces monitored its movements and coordinated with other defense units to strike and disable the target.

Earlier, Ukrainian drone operators successfully struck and destroyed a rare Russian electronic warfare (EW) system, the Tirada-2.

Developed by Russia’s Central Scientific Research Institute under the Ministry of Defense, the Tirada-2 was first procured under a 2018 defense contract. Just a year later, in 2019, it was spotted deployed in the temporarily occupied territory of the Luhansk region.

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