Russia Used Shahed Drone Armed With R-60 Air-to-Air Missile for Second Time

Russian forces have used a Shahed drone armed with an R-60 air-to-air missile in Ukraine for the second time.

The Colonel GSh Telegram channel published a photo of the downed UAV.

By combining a drone with an air-combat missile, Russia is attempting to counter Ukrainian aircraft and helicopters that hunt Shahed drones.

According to reports, the drone was shot down by Ukraine’s Defense Forces using an interceptor drone during one of the Russian attacks.

The first reported use of a Shahed equipped with an R-60 missile took place in early December last year. That drone was also destroyed, and images of its wreckage circulated on social media.

Judging by the images, the R-60 missile, as in the earlier case, is mounted atop the Shahed airframe. According to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, the missile is launched using an APU-60-1MD aircraft launcher.

The drone is fitted with two cameras — one in the nose and another behind the launcher. Video and control signals are transmitted via a Chinese Xingkay Tech XK-F358 mesh modem. If a Ukrainian aircraft or helicopter appears, the operator issues the launch command.

After launch, the infrared homing head of the Soviet-era short-range R-60 missile autonomously locks onto the target. The reported launch range is up to 7–8 km.

There may also be a variant in which the seeker acquires the target in advance, with final launch authorization given by the operator.

The drone’s flight controller, navigation, and inertial systems appear to be standard for other Shahed variants used by Russia.

Satellite navigation relies on a 12-channel anti-jamming Kometa module, allowing operation even amid active Ukrainian electronic warfare.

The electronics suite includes a British-made Raspberry Pi 4 single-board computer, a tracker, and two GSM modems for telemetry transmission, providing a relatively stable communications and control link.