December 11, 2025, 3:02 pm
Recent open-source reporting suggests Russia has begun fielding modified Shahed-136 loitering munitions fitted with a single Soviet-era R-60 (NATO designation: AA-8 “Aphid”) infrared air-to-air missile. If broadly adopted, this crude but clever modification changes the dynamic of the counter-UAS fight: it turns what was largely a ground-targeting weapon into an improvised airborne interceptor and a direct threat to Ukrainian rotary-wing and fixed-wing assets, as well as to the small interceptor drones Ukraine relies upon. Initial reports and imagery indicate the practice is real and spreading.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why R-60 armed Shahed-136 is a new headache for Ukraine ?
#defenseupdates #shahed136 #ukrainerussiawar
Chapters:
0:00 TITLE
00:11 INTRODUCTION
01:02 SPONSORSHIP – NordVPN
01:36 SHAHED-136 & R-60
03:31 STRENGTHS OF THE CONCEPT
04:54 LIMITS AND TECHNICAL CAVEATS
05:46 ANALYSIS
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