Ukraine is now using helicopter gunners to down Russian drones

Ukraine is using military helicopters that are armed with machine guns to down Russian surveillance drones and several recent videos reveal the effectiveness of the new tactic. 

Russian drones have been swarming Ukrainian airspace since the early days of the war but fighting off these dangerous weapons of war has required some innovative thinking. 

“Expending many thousands (if not millions) of dollars on each missile to eliminate an inexpensive UAV is an economically losing affair,” Paul Maxwell, the deputy director of the Army Cyber Institute at the United States Military Academy wrote in January 2024.

It doesn’t make sense for Ukraine to use its expensive surface-to-air missile systems for air defense missions against cheap drones, so Kyiv has gotten creative with its options. 

Ukraine has implemented everything from fleets of machine gun-laden trucks to very old airplanes with pilots firing shotguns to down Russian drones David Axe of Forbes noted. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @TyskNIP

The latest iteration of cheap air defense options against drones has seen Ukraine adopt fast drones that can ram an enemy drone and helicopters that hunt down slower drones.  

Photo Credit: Telegram @savelifeua

Several videos have emerged throughout August showcasing how helicopter crews are shooting down Russian drones, all of which appear to be extremely effective at their job. 

One video shows a gunner wedged between the pilot and co-pilot in the nose position of a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter firing on and destroying a Russian drone while in mid-flight. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @karymat

David Axe wrote that the situation was reminiscent of World War II when the “gunners in the noses of heavy bombers defended their planes from enemy fighters.” 

Photo Credit: Telegram @karymat

On August 27th, the Ukrainian news website Militarnyi reported on a combat video that made its way online showing the mid-flight downing of a Shahed-136 drone by an Mi-8.  

The combat footage was captured from the ground and showed the Mi-8 crew engaging with the drone before it was shot out of the sky by the helicopter's side door turret gunner.  

Photo Credit: X @bayraktar_1love

“A direct hit caused the Russian Shahed drone to descend rapidly and explode after it hit the ground,” Militarnyi explained, adding that the Russian drone did reach its target. 

Photo Credit: X @bayraktar_1love

Another video of a mid-flight drone interception showed how quickly the side door turret operator of an Mi-8 helicopter could shoot down a loitering drone like the Shahed-136. 

Photo Credit: X @bayraktar_1love

Combat footage published on X by Anatoliy Shtefan on August 25th provided video from the perspective of a side door gunner on a Mi-8 helicopter as it engaged a Shahed-136. 

Photo Credit: X @Shtirlitz53

“When the helicopter and the kamikaze drone were at a relative speed level, the gunner with the 7.62mm FN MAG machine gun started to fire at the drone,” Militarnyi explained. 

Photo Credit: X @Shtirlitz53

“Thanks to the precise shooting, the Shahed drone began to descend sharply due to the damaged fuselage and rudders,” Militarnyi added about the mid-air drone interception.  

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Photo Credit: X @Shtirlitz53