Ukrainian drone operators are using a new weapon to shoot down enemy drones

What is this new weapon?
Powerful new battlefield weapons
Combat footage from the frontlines
Footage from the 2nd Mechanized Battalion
The military installed shotguns on drones
Limited but very effective
A more common occurrence
Where the attacks happened
The drones can attack ground troops
Other video comabt footage
The drone can shoot down enemies with ease
Almost nothing is known about the new drone
It's probably a heavy-lift drone model
Not the first drone equipped with a weapon
What is this new weapon?

Drones have become an increasingly dangerous threat on the battlefield since Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian engineers have gotten quite creative in the new drone weapons they’ve developed. 

Powerful new battlefield weapons

Some drones have been fitted with the ability to drop bombs while others have become kamikaze weapons powerful enough to take out tanks. When it comes to combating all forms of Russian drones, Ukraine uses its new shotgun drone. 

Combat footage from the frontlines

Recently published combat footage revealed the effectiveness of Ukraine's new shotgun drones as anti-drone weapons. The Ukrainian 2nd Mechanized Battalion, which is a part of the 30th Mechanized Brigade, showcased its operators downing 20 Russian drones using the new weapon. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @mb2omb30

Footage from the 2nd Mechanized Battalion

The Ukrainian 2nd Mechanized Battalion, which is a part of the 30th Mechanized Brigade, showcased its operators downing 20 Russian drones using the new weapon. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @mb2omb30

The military installed shotguns on drones

“The military installed shotguns on the drone, which made it possible to destroy enemy reconnaissance drones flying over their positions effectively,” explained the Ukrainian military website Militarnyi about the new development. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @mb2omb30

Limited but very effective

The 2nd Mechanized Battalion’s footage was posted on the 30th Mechanized Brigade’s Telegram channel and showed that while these new shotgun drones may have limited range, they are effective at engaging slow-flying, low-altitude targets.  

Photo Credit: Telegram @mb2omb30

A more common occurrence

“The use of shotguns at the front is becoming more and more common, as they allow one single shot, even a not very accurate one, to shoot down or damage enemy drones,” Militarnyi explained. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @mb2omb30

Where the attacks happened

According to Militarnyi, the 20 drones downed by Ukraine's 2nd Mechanized Battalion occurred near Kupiansk, Synkivka, and Petropavlivka in the Kharkiv region. This could indicate that the weapons are active across the frontlines. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @mb2omb30

The drones can attack ground troops

“In addition to copters, this drone is also capable of destroying Russian troops on the ground, as it uses shotgun shells that work effectively over an area,” Militarnyi added. Reports about these new shotgun drones first began to surface in December 2024. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @mb2omb30

Other video comabt footage

A video of the drones in action was published on Telegram by the Lesia UA Foundation and posted by the National Information Portal Tysk. This group was founded to help fundraise money for Ukraine’s soldiers according to the Ukrainian military news website Militarnyi.  

Photo Credit: Telegram @fundationLesiaUa

The drone can shoot down enemies with ease

In the video, several scenes show Ukraine's new shotgun drones from the operator's perspective. The drones were hunting down enemy weapons in the air and firing a shotgun blast at close range to knock the opposing drones out of the sky. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @fundationLesiaUa

Almost nothing is known about the new drone

Militarnyi reported at the time that “information about the developer of this solution, its production volumes, and the platform on which the weapon is installed remains unknown.”

Photo Credit: Telegram @fundationLesiaUa

It's probably a heavy-lift drone model

“Given that, at least visually, the drone appears to be confidently holding the shotgun recoil, so it’s safe to assume that it’s a heavy-lift drone,” Militarnyi added. The model of shotgun that was fixed to the drone is also unknown. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @fundationLesiaUa

Not the first drone equipped with a weapon

This new shotgun drone interceptor isn't the first time Ukraine has experimented with equipping small arms weapons with drones. In November 2024, video footage emerged of the first machine gun-equipped drone battling Russian troops in eastern Ukraine. 

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Photo Credit: Telegram @fundationLesiaUa

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