Ukrainian FPV Drones Hit Buk Launcher and Radar

Drone operators from Ukraine’s 413th Raid Unmanned Systems Battalion, part of the Unmanned Systems Forces, used FPV drones to strike components of a Russian Buk surface-to-air missile system.

The battalion released footage of the attacks.

The video shows an FPV drone hitting a 9A310M1 self-propelled launcher from the Buk-M1 system.

The vehicle was likely targeted during refueling, as a nearby truck appears to be a fuel tanker.

One drone struck the radar, prompting the launcher to attempt to withdraw.

A second drone followed and hit the missile guide rails, where the anti-aircraft missile engine is typically located.

Another drone strike later targeted the 9S36 radar, part of the more modern Buk-M2 system.

Both systems were reportedly hit with drones equipped with shaped-charge warheads. The damage is believed to have rendered both installations inoperable, requiring full radar replacement.

Targeting Russian Air Defenses

On May 22, the 14th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Regiment, working with the Black Forest Brigade, destroyed a command post of a Russian air defense unit and struck S-300, Tor, and Buk systems.

Throughout April, Ukrainian drone units continued to degrade Russian layered air defenses in the Donetsk region.

Among the targets hit were a launcher from the S-300V system equipped with ballistic missile interceptors, along with Tor-M2 and Buk-M3 launchers. These systems were detected either during operation or while relocating.

Ukrainian forces also destroyed a command and staff vehicle used as the control post for an anti-aircraft missile division.

U.S.-made Switchblade 600 loitering munitions were used in some operations, operating in tandem with Ukrainian Shark reconnaissance drones. The Switchblade systems are easily recognizable by their distinctive interface.