Almost like World War I: Ukrainian training plane shoots down a drone

Almost like World War I
A Ukrainian training plane shot down a drone

April 28, 2024, 8:53 pm

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Ukraine lacks anti-aircraft systems and associated munitions. In the south of the country, extraordinary measures are being used to defend themselves against Russian drones. Over the Odessa region, a training plane takes a spy plane out of the sky.

A Ukrainian two-seater training plane has reportedly shot down a Russian spy plane in the south of the country. A Yak-52 propeller plane took the Orlan drone out of the sky in the Odesa region, pro-Ukrainian blog Militarnyi reported, citing local Telegram channels and published records.

A video on social media shows the drone slowly gliding to the ground using a parachute and turning around. According to Militarny, the opening of the drone's parachute may have been triggered by a built-in automatic mechanism. In another recording, gunfire can be heard as a Yak-52 flies through the frame. It is unclear where and when the recordings were taken.

Militarny writes that since the Yak-52 had no weapons or sighting systems, the drone was shot down by a second crew member. Like the early days of the First World War. It is theoretically possible to install a machine gun on the wing or side wall, but this is a very complicated intervention and therefore not possible.

The Yak-52 is based on the single-seat Yak-50 aerobatic aircraft and was designed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s. The first flight took place in 1976. The design is reminiscent of early Soviet post-war fighters. By the mid-1990s, more than 1,800 examples had been produced. The maximum speed is 470 kilometers per hour and the maximum flight duration is 2.5 hours. The aircraft's fuel and oil system enables inverted flight for up to two minutes.

According to Defense Express, a pro-Ukrainian military blog, a Yak-52 shot down a spy drone due to Ukraine's lack of anti-aircraft systems and missiles.