Drone-Downing Ukrainian Piston Planes Annoying Russians
Following the success of taking out Russian drones with shotguns in a Yak-52, the military is now training to use the rag-and-tube A-22.
Foxbat LSA [Credit: Neil Bassett/ Foxbat UK]
The ever-resourceful Ukrainians have found another use for the homegrown Aeroprakt A-22 (sold as the Foxbat LSA in the U.S.), and it’s really annoying the Russians.
After a few months of success with air force pilots and rear gunners with shotguns taking out Russian drones in a Yak-52, the Ukraine military is now training pilots and gunners to use the rag-and-tube A-22 to do the same. Previously the light sport aircraft (LSA) have been used as single-use flying bombs and have taken out some high-value targets.
According to Forbes, Russian bloggers say it’s time to do something about the new role and its inspiration.
“The Yak-52 flew over Odessa and with high efficiency shot down our reconnaissance UAVs for a week, causing laughter in some circles,” Forbes quoted a translation of the blogs as saying. “This has not been funny to UAV operators and us for a long time.”
What, exactly, the Russians might do to counteract the low-and-slow platforms wasn’t discussed on the blog. The Yak has reportedly taken out 12 drones that cost about $100,000 each.
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.
Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!
Get the latest FLYING stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox