FPV drone downs Russian Ka-52 helicopter
Posted on 03/22/2026 2:42:21 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Such teams are deployed across the country as part of a constantly evolving effort to counter the low-cost loitering munitions that have become a deadly weapon of modern warfare, from Ukraine to the Middle East.
While waiting, the crew from the 127th Brigade tests and fine-tunes their self-made interceptor drones, searching for flaws that could undermine performance once the buzzing threat appears. When Shahed drones first appeared in autumn 2022, Ukraine had few ways to stop them. Today, drone crews intercept them in flight with continually adapting technology.
In recent years, Ukraine's domestic drone interceptor market has burgeoned, producing some key players who tout their products at international arms shows. But it's on the front line where small teams have become laboratories of rapid military innovation — grassroots technology born of battlefield necessity that now draw international interest.
Iran has also used the same drones in retaliation for joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, at times overwhelming far more sophisticated Western-made air defenses and highlighting the need for cheaper and more flexible countermeasures.
“It’s not like we sat down one day and decided to fight with drones,” said a pilot with Ukraine’s 127th Brigade, sitting at his monitor after completing a preflight check. “We did it because we had nothing else.”
How the drone war began
Moments earlier, the pilot carefully landed his interceptor drone to avoid damaging it. He spoke on condition of anonymity because military rules did not allow him to be quoted by name.
Though designed to be disposable, limited resources mean Ukrainian crews try to preserve every tool they have, often reusing even single-use drones to study their weaknesses and improve them.
“Just imagine — a Patriot missile costs about $2 million, and here you have a small aircraft worth about $2,200,” the pilot said. “And if it doesn’t hit the...”
(Excerpt) Read more at military.com ...
The militaries of the world are watching and learning.
FPV drone downs Russian Ka-52 helicopter
I rarely (actually never) see news of the TOW and Javelin anti-tank missiles that were going to be “game changers” in the war. It’s a new era in warfare now. Meaningful “line of sight” now is from the camera of a drone and not from the eyes of an infantry soldier.
May God bless Ukraine.
The next logical step is to put missiles on the smaller drones. Perhaps not as hefty as the toe and javelin, but nonetheless capable of hitting either ground or or targets from a couple of miles away.
*TOW, not toe.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Ukraine has been a laboratory for A LOT of stuff.
“Ukraine has been a laboratory for A LOT of stuff.”
Still figuring out on “How Not to Lose Territory.”
That’s a tough one. LOL!
And that is why the war continues because nobody really wants such a useful conflict to end.
It’s not just flying drones....
The Ukes are mounting 50 cals on ground drones and hunting Russians with them terminator style.
No for real. This is IR footage from it’s airborne buddy drone.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/1r6mgcp/comment/o5s5eoz/?force-legacy-sct=1
Warfare is fundamentally changing.
Even our Army is test robo dogs with machine guns on them.
https://www.reddit.com/r/tacticalgear/comments/1rc6nsz/us_army_testing_weaponized_qugv_quadrupedal/
Flying gun drones are in the field already. Our military is playing catch up.
Even pistols and they tested it works great the drones gyros automatically account for recoil nasty little buggers.
https://www.twz.com/sig-sauer-shows-off-p365-pistol-armed-aerial-drone
I’m a Sig kinda guy well Glocks too.
The Terminator world will look like a documentary.
The Russians are putting aphid air to air missiles on their version of the Shahed drone and shooting down helos with them in drone to air combat. The same helos that are out shooting down the incoming Shaheds
Here is a STING anti drone drones chasing down a jet Shahed with a Air to Air missile on it’s back for helo hunting. The fact that the little 3D printed killer drone can catch a 400+ mph jet drone at 12000+ feet up is impressive . The Don’s sons just bought the tech for that drone to make them here so we will have USA STING Wild Hornets
Oh it gets better AI software can be taught to hunt people by amateurs in a few hours, not just “people” a specific person via face recognition and even without face recognition a person’s walk aka gait is as unique as a fingerprint your run is as well. Walk run both unique as a fingerprint.
Airborne killer drones either kamikaze or gun armed or grenade dropping too.
This
With any of the gun packing drones from Sig et al. = hovering kill bot out of shotgun range at that. 338 lapua sniper rifles have been flown on gyro stabilized platforms and can make hits at 1000+ meters.
Or put a 50 cal Barrett rifle stripped down to just the barrel action and mag it’s only 25lb then and any medium drone can tote that around for hours. Use a smooth bore and yeet guided 50 cal rounds even running targets get smashed at 2 mile distances.
Yeah that is a 50 cal maneuvering in flight this was 2014 they moved on to targets in motion even full running speeds it’s laser guided more accurately laser homing like a mini hellfire missile. Put that under a 6 rotor jet fuel powered drone and hover it over a city for 8+ hours once you see the target lase it and in a single round kill them from outside the range you can even see or hear the drone the round is supersonic if you hear it you were not the the target. It would be instant silent death from the targets view point. Truly diabolical and moral killing too.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XW2DwQun95s
I mean if Russian conscripts in the field can rig a drone to drop grenades wait till the MIC does when they set the boffins off running.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Military/comments/utd9ed/how_russians_set_up_their_drones_to_drop_grenades/
Our army
Drop mortars too. Bigger boom than a hand grenade. The Ukes also drop 40mm grenades that are less mass than a hand grenade and have anti vehicle use since they are shaped charges. The 40mm drone drops in Ukraine are brutal to watch they drop them right into the trenches right on top of the person most of the time it’s a direct hit as the drop is vertical and wind doesn’t blow heavy falling object’s that much from a few hundred feet up.
Streamlined mortars just pickup speed and fall straight down.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/xgohvu/looks_like_the_6_mortars_quadcopter_drone_is/
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