Russia has deployed the Verba MANPADS on Shahed: a new threat to Ukrainian aviation.

According to ТСН: After experiments with mounting the air-to-air missile R-60 on the Shahed drone, Russian occupiers turned to integrating a portable anti-aircraft missile system.

This innovation aims to counter Ukrainian helicopters and aircraft participating in the fight against Russian Shaheds.

Information about the downing of such a drone was initially published by specialist Sergey "Flash" Beskrestnov. Later, soldiers from the Darknode battalion of the 412th Nemesis brigade showed a video of the intercepted drone.

Features of the new technologies

It is worth noting several important points. First, it concerns the use of the Verba MANPADS, a modern portable anti-aircraft missile system in service with Russia. This is confirmed by both the appearance of the launch system and its index 9P333. According to the marking, the system was manufactured in 2025.

To activate the MANPADS, the enemy mounted several additional systems necessary for launching the missile. Among them: the activation of the launch system, puncturing the compressed nitrogen cylinder to cool the infrared homing head, and executing the launch.

At first glance, this appears to be an unconventional solution, as there is a lack of proper cable management. The use of ordinary clamps and the open installation of all systems on the body also raises interest.

Additionally, the presence of the Verba MANPADS indicates that the Russian military had access to the latest system, but not to ready-made solutions. This means that developers had to find ways to initiate the launch that mimic human actions. Such solutions resemble a "garage" development, although this does not diminish the degree of threat.

Drone management

Secondly, attention should be paid to the main component of the system — managing the Shahed in online mode. The idea is for the operator controlling the drone with the MANPADS to be able to timely detect a helicopter or airplane and maneuver so that the homing head of the Verba locks onto the target within the limited cooling time.

If there is no video transmission system from the drone and the ability to control it "from the remote", the situation becomes critical. Currently, the enemy uses mesh modems to organize such communication, so fighting against this channel of control for Shaheds is a priority.

Russia is armed with a new cheap Shahed. This drone is a technologically simplified and more economical version of the already known Shahed-136 kamikaze drone, which is actively used to terrorize Ukrainian cities.

Thus, the new technologies used by the Russian military indicate a change in strategy in the fight against Ukrainian aviation. This may complicate the situation at the front, as the new systems provide opportunities to more effectively counter air forces. Monitoring further changes in the tactics of drone use remains important for assessing the conflict's development.