A Ukrainian Tu-143 jet drone, dating from the end of the Cold War, was shot down in western Russia, a local official said. Originally a reconnaissance drone, the Tu-143, also known as Reys, which means in Russian, is very similar to the Tu-141, an example of which crashed in Croatia in March, in a bizarre and still unexplained incident reported here. The Tu-141 in Croatia is believed to have carried an explosive warhead and the appearance of a similar drone in Russia now suggests that Ukraine has potentially adapted those unmanned aerial cars as weapons of revenge.
Photos showing the remains of the rear segment of a Tu-143 were posted this morning on the Russian instant messaging service Telegram, through the governor of Kursk Oblast in western Russia, Roman Starovoyt. Although poorly mutilated, the parts shown in the 4 photographs appear to come from a Tu-143 drone. Along with the photos, Starovoyt published the following text:
“Bonjour. Je publishes images of the drone we shot down last night. A Soviet-era Ukrainian Tu-141 Strizh flew into our airspace. The Investigative Committee is working on the site where the remains were found.
Although erroneously referred to as the larger Tu-141, the drone appears to have injured that may also be compatible with the detonation of a fragmentation warhead of a surface-to-air missile, with multiple small perforations in the skin of the mobile. as the ones that would possibly result. shrapnel. However, there is no way to verify this. It is also imaginable that the drone crashed, either intentionally or due to some kind of malfunction, although the unique nature of the observed damage is puzzling. The precise location of the remains was also not revealed. .
In addition, we cannot say with certainty that it was a Ukrainian drone, this is also likely. After all, Ukrainian Tu-143s have already appeared in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, with at least one example allegedly shot down via Russian aircraft. air defense systems over Ukraine in April.
Starovoyt did not speculate on what the newest Ukrainian drone was doing over Russian territory and whether it participated in a reconnaissance or attack mission, or whether its presence was intended to cause or disrupt Russian air defense systems.
Both the Tu-141 and Tu-143 were developed during the Cold War for tactical reconnaissance missions, with optical cameras and, in recent years, also with television and infrared sensors. However, it has been reported that Ukrainian drones of this type have been used in the existing standoff to locate Russian ground-based air defense systems, revealing their presence so that they may have been shunned through Ukrainian aircraft and/or attacked. the chances of survival of Ukrainian aircraft.
Something similar may be an option in the case of the Tu-143 shot down over Kursk Oblast, one or more of those drones that can be used as decoys to cover a Ukrainian attack on Russian territory. Reports of Ukrainian Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters attacking infrastructure on the Russian side of the border, while a “kamikaze” drone hit a Russian oil facility. .
Then there’s the option that the Tu-143 itself participated in some sort of strike mission, which turns out to be the maximum likely explanation. While there is no definitive confirmation that the Tu-141 and Tu-143 were adapted as unidirectional attack drones, the fact that the Tu-143 that crashed in Croatia carried some sort of warhead implies this.
This Tu-141 fell in Zagreb, the Croatian capital, on March 10 of this year. The Croatian defense minister later said lines of explosives and parts of an aerial bomb had been discovered in the effect crater.
Images of the Tu-141 that crashed in Zagreb in March:
At the time, we noticed that only Ukraine was actively employing the old Tu-141, after putting the drones back into service after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. But we also noticed that it was imaginable that Russia took out Tu-141s. garage to be used as air defense decoys or for other more clandestine responsibilities similar to the confrontation in Ukraine. Russia uses Tu-143 as target drones, so the same warning applies to the drone that fell in Kursk Oblast last night.
Video of a Ukrainian Tu-143 allegedly shot dead by pro-Russian forces in Donbass after the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2014:
The Zagreb Tu-141 and at least one example that allegedly crashed in Crimea in the existing crash also appear to have had Soviet-era red star markings. This has led to the hypothesis that those may have been Russian examples that have returned to action. However, it is more likely that they have recently disposed of a long-term garage in Ukraine and have not yet won Ukrainian brands when they were lost. Alternatively, recently implemented Ukrainian badges may have been erased in accidents.
Along with Starovoyt’s message showing the wreckage of the Tu-143, unspecified reports began to emerge about a possible attack introduced against the Russian Kursk-Khalino airbase, which houses a regiment of Su-30SM Flanker multirole fighters of a type that has been widely used in the clash in Ukraine. Videos posted on social media show a plume of smoke and sounds of explosions, which some said came from near the air base. At this time, this cannot be shown and it is also unclear whether the Tu-143 was involved in the same incident.
There is still no clear answer as to how the Zagreb drone was actually assembled, the removal of the original reconnaissance apparatus and the installation of some kind of internal warhead seems the maximum likely explanation. Again, maintaining the installation of at least one of the parachutes. , which are used to bring the drone to a safe landing, remains unclear whether a one-way project was planned. In general, those types of drones are largely similar to cruise missiles, to begin with, and adapting them for an attack. The project might not be a massive technological challenge. In addition to equipping them with a highly explosive warhead, this would involve programming them to fully fly in a target area.
While a drone armed with a bomb flying from Ukraine to the capital of some other NATO country is probably inexplicable, by some sort of serious navigational error, flying a Tu-143 across the border into western Russia would obviously make much more sense for Kyiv. Interestingly, at least one photo later posted on social media appears to show a Tu-143 recovery parachute. This sounds quite small, perhaps suggesting that this is the brake duct intended to slow down the drone before the main conduit is deployed. Contact option in a predetermined area, the deployment of the parachute before contact and detonation also makes sense, as this would provide a degree of accuracy without significant modifications.
As a primitive cruise missile, the Tu-143 can serve as a functional revenge weapon intended to attack the Russian military and Russian infrastructure on its own lines. With a diversity of about 125 miles compared to about 650 miles for the larger Tu-141. , the Tu-143 could still carry out one-way missions to attack Russian targets closer to the Border with Ukraine, in addition to being able to cover the maximum of Kursk Oblast from a launch site near the Ukrainian side of the border. not incredibly accurate, those drones can target a larger facility or infrastructure.
A raid of this would also appear to align with developing reports of Ukrainian activity beyond its borders. A recent account in the Times of London described how troops from the Shaman Battalion, nickname given to Ukraine’s 10th Special Forces Detachment, engaged in cross-border operations. sabotage missions.
“The precise targets are classified, but the incursions of the teams across the border help to mysteriously sabotage Russian oil refineries, ammunition depots and communication networks,” the newspaper reports. explosions and fires in recent months. We have written several times about the effects of such possible sabotage, adding here and here.
As in much of this last episode, the main points of the Tu-143 project and everything that happened in Kursk Oblast last night remain very mysterious. However, we will continue to keep you informed about the evolution of this story.
Contact the author: thomas@thedrive. com
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