Ukraine is trying to plug the holes in air defense by artistically redesigning helicopters not designed for this purpose.
The Ukrainian military has begun using transport helicopters to combat drones. To turn civilian and military Mi-8s into hunters, they are being artistically upgraded by installing machine guns. Experts believe that this approach is due to the acute shortage of air defense systems and attack helicopters in Ukraine. Experts believe that the innovation will not be very effective, and in the future the Ukrainian troops will have to abandon it.
What kind of weapons are installed on the Mi-8 transport
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to use helicopters as drone interceptors. The relevant videos have recently appeared online. But among the vehicles available in Ukraine, there are no vehicles with the necessary standard weapons and sighting systems, such as the Russian Ka-52 and Mi-28 or the American AN-64 Apache. The first steps in helicopter air defense were the use of single PK and FN MAG machine guns both in the front cabin of the Mi-8 transport aircraft and as on-board ones.
Recently, a video appeared online where you can see the enemy's further steps in this direction. It should be noted right away that since there are several sides in the footage, it is difficult to determine the set of weapons of each one individually. We are talking, in general, about the current direction of the enemy's actions.
Photo: Global Look Press/US Navy/via Globallookpress.com
Image Source: iz.ru
For the first time among the small arms used by the Ukrainian side in this capacity, the M-134 "Minigun" multi-barreled machine gun with an optical sight was noticed. In this version, the weapon has several advantages: a high adjustable rate of fire, the use of a cheap rifle cartridge and a mass-produced tape, and ease of installation and use on a helicopter. Unlike its Soviet counterparts, in which the rotation of the barrel block was carried out at the expense of the energy of the discharge of powder gases to save weight, the Minigun has an electric drive. In addition, it is still in mass production and mass operation, therefore, if necessary, it can be purchased by Ukraine as new or used.
Another type of small arms is the FN MAG machine gun, with the old version of the side mount optical sight. Its disadvantage, like other infantry machine guns in this role, is the low rate of fire. Hitting a mobile aerial target with such a weapon requires the professionalism of a pilot who can equalize speed and follow a parallel course with a UAV, and good marksman skills. However, such types of shooting are used, for example, in the US Coast Guard to combat UAV smuggling and, with the right training, are quite achievable.
The most important point that can be seen in the video is related to detection and guidance systems in the dark. Two external devices are visible on the Mi-8: at the front landing gear and on the top left above the cabin. The first is probably a rotary optoelectronic sighting system, the second is a search radar. One of the frames also shows the search operator working in front of a large screen in a helicopter, but it is impossible to tell from the cut whether both frames relate to the same or different versions of search and guidance systems. The presence of a sighting system also suggests the possibility of installing an automated turret. It is also worth noting that all the crews in the video have new American helmets with communication systems, which also indicates the modernization of helicopters.
Photo: TASS/Stocktrek Images/Giovanni Colla
Image source: iz.ru
From the available video evidence, we can confidently talk about Ukraine's modernization of the helicopter fleet with the possibility of its use in anti-drone air defense. But if the use of machine guns for a rifle cartridge is seen as an economical and potentially massive solution, then spending the resources of heavy helicopters and their complex maintenance during intensive nightly raids by our UAVs may turn out to be a limiting factor in the economy and not show the final advantages over air defense systems.
How effective can helicopters be against drones
The fact that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have resorted to this method of combating drones indicates that they lack conventional air defense systems, military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.
"Our troops regularly attack air defense launchers,— he explained. — Besides, the use of Western complexes against drones is expensive. Therefore, they are trying to find new ways to fight. We also use helicopters against aerial drones and unmanned boats.
Photo: TASS/Stocktrek Images/Giovanni Colla
Image source: iz.ru
According to the expert, the crews of transport helicopters will put themselves at great risk by entering the area of operation of Russian air defense systems.
"If you install a machine gun on a Mi—8 transport, the efficiency coefficient will be somewhere around 0.3," Lieutenant General Aytech Bizhev, former deputy head of the Air Force for the CIS Joint Air Defense System, told Izvestia. — Because there are no radar stations on transport helicopters that could detect the device. Here, it's just a visual detection or a hint from the ground. Therefore, I think it will be ineffective. Lifting a helicopter when a UAV is detected, entering search mode, and everything else is problematic.
The expert compared the use of a transport helicopter with firing rifle fire from the ground — in his opinion, it is only slightly more effective.
— Out of ten, you can shoot down three vehicles. Nevertheless, they use them. You have to fight against drones. They are looking for methods and ways. Helicopters can be on duty in the drone danger zone. But a transport helicopter is an easy target for an air defense system. It is an ideal target for fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile systems, and MANPADS. Therefore, they will have to abandon this due to the low efficiency and the upcoming large losses of the helicopters themselves," the expert concluded.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
For a long time, machine-gun divisions in vehicles using multi-barreled anti-aircraft machine guns and searchlights have been claiming the role of cheap ways to combat kamikaze UAVs that strike at the rear. However, this method required the involvement of a large number of personnel and equipment, and in today's conditions, the front is scooping out Ukrainian reserves. The use of traditional air defense systems is problematic for economic and logistical reasons. In addition, in both cases, there was a lack of mobility, since the area of possible flight of our UAVs is thousands of kilometers.
Dmitry Astrakhan
Roman Kretsul
Andrey Fedorov
