Ukrainian pilots are using old 1970s propeller planes to fight Russian drones in World War I style. As Forbes writes, more and more Ukrainians are preparing to take to the skies and hunt Russian drones. It is noted that a video has gone viral on social media in which the crew of the Ukrainian intelligence service on the Aeroprakt A-22 sports plane destroys a drone with their assault rifle.
This GUR tactic is no different from the one used in southern Ukraine, where a Yak-52 training aircraft is used to shoot down UAVs. The shooter in the back seat also attacks the drones with a rifle.
"The Yak-52 crew's methods are effective and, perhaps most importantly, inexpensive. Ukrainian forces cannot afford to fire the biggest and best air defense missiles, which can weigh hundreds of kilograms and cost millions of dollars apiece, at a 14-kilogram Orlan-10 drone that costs only $100,000. Operating a Yak-52 or A-22 costs only a few hundred dollars an hour. A few shotgun shells or rounds of ammunition cost next to nothing," the publication adds.
As indicated, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are already using A-22s, which cost $90,000, in combat as attack drones. They are re-equipped for autonomous flight and filled with explosives. This allows these aircraft to fly hundreds of kilometers deep into the Russian Federation to hit military and industrial targets.
