The Ukrainian Naval Air Force’s operation was conducted at sea and used on-board weapons to intercept suicide drones, reducing the risk to residential areas but making it a high-risk mission for the crew.
Mi-8 helicopter crews from the Ukrainian Naval Air Corps shot down 12 Russian Shahed suicide drones in just three hours during an interception operation conducted at sea. The video of the operation was released through the Ukrainian Navy’s Public Information Department.
According to publicly available information, the target was shot down using in-flight weapons mounted on the aircraft. The reason for carrying out the interception at sea was to reduce the possibility of debris falling on residential areas, and was a measure taken into account that drone attacks remain an ongoing threat.
However, this mission carried a high risk to the crew. Maritime air operations are considered more complex than land flights and require a higher level of proficiency from teams in more challenging environments. There is also the possibility of a response from the Russian Air Force during these operations.
Using helicopters to intercept enemy drones is not a new practice in this conflict. After the summer of 2024, the Ukrainian Army Aviation began to participate more actively in these missions, which became especially important after Russian drones began operating at increasingly higher altitudes.
The effectiveness of such an intercept depends on several factors, including the level of training of the crew and their ability to detect the target early. Nevertheless, shooting down a suicide drone using in-flight weapons is still a very difficult task.
This is because there is a risk of explosion if the drone’s warhead is not accurately hit, and especially if the aircraft is very close to the target when shooting, fragments may hit the helicopter itself.
For these missions, the Ukrainian Air Force specializes in aerial interception. Mi-8 Operating a helicopter. The aircraft is equipped with optoelectronic equipment with day and night channels, a situational awareness system, and an onboard weapon system.
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In this helicopter M134 machine gunEquipped with this, it is often used in Russian attacks. Shahed Improves engagement capabilities against small aerial targets such as drones.
This case shows that drone warfare is increasingly demanding faster and more specialized responses, which is why militaries are adapting their transport and support helicopters for improvised air defense missions. These missions are playing an increasingly important role on the battlefield.
Source and image: Militarnyi | Telegram @ukrainian_navy, @militaryanalyse. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
Ukrainian Navy Mi-8 downs 12 Russian Shahed drones in three hours
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