Ukraine mobilizes more propeller planes to shoot down Russian drones

The Ukrainian pilots who engaged in World War I-style dogfights with Russian drones in their 1970s-era propeller planes appear to have inspired a movement. Now more Ukrainians are preparing to take to the skies in slow-flying propeller planes – and hunt down the Russian drones circling over vulnerable bases and cities.

A video circulating on social media this weekend shows Ukrainian intelligence crews in a locally manufactured Aeroprakt A-22 sports plane. A gunner in the left seat of the two-seater aircraft aims his assault rifle at a target drone.

The intelligence directorate’s tactics are not dissimilar to those of the crew of a Yakovlev Yak-52 training aircraft. The aircraft was apparently borrowed from a Ukrainian flying club and has been shooting down Russian drones over southern Ukraine since mid-April. A gunner in the back seat of the Yak-52 fires a shotgun at the slow, low-flying drones.

The Yak-52 crew’s methods are effective and, perhaps most importantly, inexpensive. The Ukrainian armed forces cannot afford to fire the biggest and best anti-aircraft missiles – which can weigh thousands of pounds and cost millions of dollars apiece – at a 15-kilogram Orlan-10 drone that costs just $100,000. Operating a Yak-52 or A-22 costs only a few hundred dollars an hour. A few shotgun shells or rifle bullets cost almost nothing.

It should come as no surprise that Ukrainian intelligence has turned to the A-22 for anti-drone missions.

The A-22 is the kind of plane a mid-level hobbyist pilot would buy for fun sightseeing flights over the local airport. “If you want a sturdy airplane that is easy to handle, offers amazing short-range performance, but can still fly at over 95 knots while carrying a good load (legally), look no further!” boasted Arizona-based Leighnor Aircraft, which distributes the A-22 in the U.S., on its website.

The Kiev armed forces are already using the $90,000 A-22 aircraft in combat – as attack drones. A-22 aircraft, converted for autonomous flight and loaded with explosives, have already penetrated hundreds of kilometers into Russia to attack military and industrial targets.

If there is a disadvantage of the A-22 over the Yak-52, it is the former’s underpowered engine. The Rotax engine of a 1,000-pound A-22 produces 100 hp, while the Vedeneyev engine of a 3,000-pound Yak-52 produces 360 hp. With its better power-to-weight ratio, a Yak-52 might be better in a tight turning fight with a drone.

But any drone-killing aircraft is better than no drone-killing aircraft. Ukraine is desperately trying to shoot down the dozens of Russian surveillance drones that fly over Ukrainian cities and bases every day with near impunity. For a terrifying three days last week, Russian drones flew over Ukrainian airfields and discovered targets for Iskander ballistic missiles.

The Ukrainians lost at least three valuable fighter jets in these attacks – only because they could not shoot down the drones before they located the planes on the ground.

Frankly, a sport aircraft for air combat may not be the best option for protecting an active airfield. The sport aircraft could pose a threat to combat aircraft during takeoff and landing.

But if A-22s or other light aircraft can protect cities in southern Ukraine, for example, they could relieve the burden on stronger ground-based air defenses and relocate them to vulnerable air bases.