The action by the Ukrainian naval aviation took place over seas and used onboard weapons to intercept kamikaze drones, reducing the risk to residential areas but exposing the crew to a high-risk mission.
The crew of a Ukrainian naval aviation Mi-8 helicopter destroyed 12 Russian Shahed kamikazedrones in just three hours during an interception operation over the sea. The video of the action was published by the press service of the Ukrainian Navy.
According to the published information, the targets were shot down using the helicopter’s built-in weapons. The choice to carry out the interception over the sea aimed to reduce the risk of wreckage falling into residential areas, in a situation where drone attacks still pose a constant threat.
However, the mission entailed considerable risk for the crew. Air operations over seas are considered more complex than flights over land and require greater skill from the crew in more demanding conditions. In addition, there is the risk of a possible reaction from Russian aviation during this type of operation.
The use of helicopters to intercept enemy drones is nothing new in the conflict. Since the summer of 2024, the aviation of the Ukrainian army has been used more actively in such missions, especially after Russian drones began to operate at increasingly high altitudes.
The effectiveness of this type of interception depends on a number of factors, such as the crew’s training level and the ability to detect targets early. Nevertheless, destroying kamikaze drones with weapons on board is still a challenging task.
This is because if the hit does not hit the drone’s warhead correctly, there is a risk of detonation and fragments hitting the helicopter itself, especially if the aircraft is flying very close to the target at the time of firing.
For this type of mission, Ukrainian aviation uses Mi-8-helicopters that are specially adapted for aerial interception. These aircraft are equipped with optoelectronic systems with day and night channels, situational awareness systems and integrated weapons systems.
Among the equipment on these helicopters is M134 machine gunwhich increases the ability to engage small aerial targets, such as Shahed– drones that are often used in Russian attacks.
The incident underscores how drone warfare increasingly requires rapid and specialized responses, leading armed forces to adapt transport and support helicopters to improvised air defense missions that are increasingly important on the battlefield.
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Source and images: Militarnyi | Telegram @ukrainian_navy, @militaryanalyse. This content has been created with the help of KI and reviewed by the editors.
Ukrainian Navy Mi-8 downs 12 Russian Shahed drones in three hours
Telegram: | ukrainian_navy pic.twitter.com/82CSsSwGQX — saibadetudo.com.br (@saibadetudo25) March 25, 2026
