A Ukrainian MiG-29 Shot Down A Russian Jet Drone With A Missile From 1982

• 4.10.2026, 20:37

Video evidence.

Footage has been posted online showing a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet intercepting a Russian jet-powered drone at night. The pilot of the upgraded MiG-29MU1 destroyed the target with an R-60M short-range missile.

The fighter jet was carrying out an air defense mission. The published footage shows the jet closing in on the drone from behind, firing a missile that automatically locks onto the target, and, three seconds later, blowing up the drone in midair.

Immediately after the explosion, the pilot steers the fighter jet aside to avoid the debris.

The R-60M is a Soviet small-caliber air-to-air guided missile. It is equipped with an infrared homing seeker that responds to the target’s thermal radiation, primarily that of the engine. It was developed in the USSR in 1973. A modernized version of the R-60M was developed and entered service in 1982.

The R-60M version is a later modification featuring a more sensitive thermal homing seeker and an enlarged warhead.

This missile is part of the MiG-29’s arsenal alongside the more modern R-73.

Ukrainian MiG-29s have already been used to destroy Russian jet-powered drones. In September, the “Center” Air Command published footage of such an interception, noting that the pilot has little time to detect, aim at, and engage the target.