- Vintage Antonov An-28 now serves as a mobile anti-drone platform
- Ukrainian crews report destroying 222 Russian Shahed drones using the onboard minigun
- The Antonov An-28 supports two drone models, the SkyFall P1-Sun and the Merops AS-3 Surveyor
A 55-year-old turboprop aircraft originally designed for short-haul cargo and passenger flights has found a whole new calling over Ukrainian skies.
The Antonov An-28, a Soviet-era Russian-designed twin-prop aircraft, now serves as a mobile anti-drone weapons platform.
Ukrainian forces have equipped this vintage airframe with a six-barreled M134 Minigun, underwing interceptor drones and virtual reality headsets for night targeting.
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From utility transport to drone hunter
The An-28 was never intended for combat; its original mission involved hauling supplies and people from short, unimproved airstrips.
The aircraft’s short takeoff and landing capability now serves a different purpose, allowing it to operate from tight forward bases close to the front lines.
Ukrainian pilot Tymur Fatkullin, who has documented many extemporaneous aviation initiatives, first published a video of the armed An-28.
His crew relies on air traffic controllers to guide it into areas where Russian Shahed drones are active, then uses infrared cameras and night vision goggles to spot the most nocturnal targets.
The aircraft carries an M134 Minigun, a six-barreled Gatling-class weapon capable of shredding slow-moving drones with sustained fire, such as the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
Fatkullin reports that the An-28 has already destroyed 222 Russian drones using weapon armament alone.
Although the minigun has proven effective, it requires the An-28 to fly within line of sight of the target.
Russian Shaheds often travel in swarms, and a gun can only engage one drone at a time, a limitation that pushed Ukrainian crews to experiment with a different method.
Instead of relying solely on bullets, the An-28 now carries small interceptor drones under its wings.
These drones launch from the aircraft and fly towards enemy Shaheds autonomously or under remote control.
“We have also tested several other interceptor drones during training flights. You can call it a cheap air-to-air missile,” said Tymur Fatkullin.
There are two models of these budget drones – the SkyFall P1-Sun, which uses a modular 3D-printed airframe and reaches speeds of up to 280 miles per hour, and the Merops AS-3 Surveyor, which carries an explosive warhead for proximity detonation.
Why the old airframe?
Launching interceptor drones from a turboprop offers several practical advantages over ground-based systems.
The An-28 brings the small drone closer to the target before release, reducing response time.
When the launch occurs from altitude, it gives the interceptor additional range and kinetic energy.
The aircraft also provides loiter time for standing anti-drone patrols that crews can set up as a protective screen along predictable Russian flight paths.
However, the biggest advantage of this old airframe is the price. A single Shahed drone costs Russia an estimated $30,000 to $50,000.
According to the US Army, a Merops-made interceptor drone costs about $15,000, with potential reductions to between $3,000 and $5,000 during scaled production.
The minigun, which fires conventional ammunition, offers an even cheaper price per shot. kill.
This technology appears to address Russian Shahed drones, but its true test will come not in today’s kills, but in how quickly Russia adapts to this stopgap solution.
If Moscow deploys electronic warfare or faster drones that defeat the An-28’s current configuration, the old turboprop’s usefulness could disappear almost overnight.
Via TWZ
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