Footage circulating on russian Telegram channels allegedly shows a Be-12 amphibious aircraft destroying a Ukrainian USV. These aircraft can indeed be described as "rare," having entered service 58 years ago, in 1968.
russia originally had six Be-12 aircraft in service. However, as a result of drone strikes carried out by Ukraine's Defense Intelligence in September 2025, two of them were destroyed at Kacha air base in temporarily occupied Crimea. Despite their age and limited numbers, the aircraft remain in use, largely because russia has no direct replacement for them.
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According to the video, the alleged Ukrainian USV was attacked using four PLAB-250-120 anti-submarine aerial bombs. This choice of weapon is particularly odd, as these munitions were specifically designed to engage submarines rather than surface targets.
Against surface targets, such bombs would be relatively ineffective. At the same time, these weapons are effectively the only standard means available to the Be-12 for engaging unmanned surface vessels. In addition to the PLAB-250-120, the aircraft can carry PLAB-50 bombs, UPLAP-50 training bombs, and torpedoes.
In theory, other types of aerial bombs could possibly be integrated, but this would likely require structural or systems modifications. Despite russian claims that a Ukrainian USV was destroyed, it is impossible to verify whether the target was indeed an unmanned surface vessel.
The video itself shows only a single blurred spot on the water, presented as the target. Given both the use of anti-submarine bombs and the Be-12 platform, it is also plausible that the aircraft was engaging a submerged naval drone that surfaced for technical or operational reasons, which would be a far more typical target profile for this aircraft.
The use of the Be-12 in this role is puzzling for another reason. Since 2024, russian forces have reportedly been reluctant to employ helicopters armed with machine guns to hunt Ukrainian USVs, following the appearance of air-to-air missiles and machine guns mounted on these vessels. At least one russian helicopter has already been lost under such circumstances.
The Be-12, however, operates at low altitude and relatively low speed. For air-to-air missiles mounted on a USV, there would be little difference between engaging a helicopter or a Be-12, especially given that the Be-12 lacks countermeasures such as flare dispensers. Against this backdrop, using irreplaceable Be-12 aircraft for risky low-altitude attacks with anti-submarine bombs appears particularly questionable.
For the same mission, aircraft such as the Su-30 could theoretically be employed instead. These fighters are equipped with defensive countermeasures and operate at higher speeds and altitudes, which would improve their survivability against a USV armed with air-to-air missiles. However, even these advantages failed to prevent a Su-30 from being shot down in May 2025.
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