Magura V7
The larger, missile-armed evolution of Ukraine's Magura naval drone — a sea drone that carries AIM-9 Sidewinders and, in May 2025, became the first uncrewed vessel to shoot down crewed fighter jets, downing two Russian Su-30s in the Black Sea.
The larger, missile-armed evolution of Ukraine's Magura uncrewed surface vessel — a sea drone that carries AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and, in May 2025, became the first uncrewed vessel in history to shoot down crewed fighter jets, downing two Russian Su-30s over the Black Sea.
Overview
The Magura V7 is a Ukrainian missile-armed uncrewed surface vessel (USV), the bigger and more capable successor to the Magura V5 that redefined Black Sea warfare. Designed by Ukraine's state-owned SpetsTechnoExport (the Magura family is associated with the UForce brand) and operated by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine's (HUR) special unit "Group 13," it is built as a multi-role strike and air-defence platform rather than a single-use ramming charge. Its defining capability is a twin launcher for AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, which HUR used to make the Magura, in its own words, "the world's first marine drone to destroy aerial targets." The V7 has partly superseded the V5 in HUR service.
Development
The Magura V7 emerged from the rapid, wartime iteration of Ukraine's USV family — a lineage that ran from the improvised Magura V1 of 2022 through the combat-proven V5 — as Ukraine sought a larger hull with better sea-keeping and a built-in air-defence role, as catalogued by naval analyst H.I. Sutton. The reshaped bow and greater displacement were aimed at year-round operations in rougher winter seas. In October 2025 HUR's Group 13 took delivery of a V7 funded entirely through a public fundraising campaign run by the Diana Podolyanchuk Charity Foundation, a striking example of Ukraine's crowdfunded-warfare model, as The Defense Post reported.
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