Soldiers from the “Kryla” (Wings) special unit of the Ukrainian General Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) discovered and destroyed a Russian Osa (‘Wasp’) anti-aircraft missile system, as reported by HUR via Telegram.
According to the report, the air defense system is valued at $10 million, while the FPV drone used by the scouts to destroy the “Wasp” cost only several hundred dollars.
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“Lessons in interesting mathematics will continue!” read the caption accompanying the released video.
In the footage – which Kyiv Post could not independently verify – the drone camera shows the “Wasp” stationed in a tree line. The video then cuts to a Ukrainian kamikaze drone flying toward the anti-aircraft missile system and crashing into it. Thick clouds of black smoke soon rise from the “Wasp,” followed by intense flames as the fire spreads.
The report did not specify the exact location of the strike.
The Osa is a Soviet-era, all-weather automated military air defense system designed to protect motorized rifle and tank divisions in various combat scenarios. Development began in 1960 with the goal of creating the Soviet Union's first fully mobile air defense system.
Deployed in 1971, the Osa underwent continuous modernization. In 1977, the improved Osa-AKM variant was introduced, featuring six upgraded 9M33M3 missiles. Production continued until 1989, making it the most widely produced anti-aircraft missile system in the USSR.
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The Osa-AKM is equipped with six 9M33M3 missiles, each weighing 128 kg and carrying a 15-kg warhead. The system has a range of 1.5 to 10 kilometers and can engage targets at altitudes between 10 and 5,000 meters. The probability of hitting a fighter-type target with one missile ranges from 50% to 85%.
According to open-source data, a single Osa missile costs around $56,000, compared to $400,000 for a missile from the modern German IRIS-T system. The total cost of the Osa system varies widely, with estimates ranging from $1 million to $10 million.
In mid-January, the Ukrainian military destroyed another Russian Osa using an American-made HIMARS rocket launcher. According to a report from the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO), while conducting reconnaissance in the southern sector, operators from the 73rd Maritime Center of the SSO – despite poor visibility – discovered a Russian anti-aircraft missile system being used against Ukrainian troops.
The SSO aerial reconnaissance team provided the coordinates to HIMARS operators, who successfully destroyed the Russian anti-aircraft missile system with precise fire.
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