Recently, it was reported that on Wednesday, July 31, a Ukrainian FPV drone, weighing about 1 kg, shot down a Russian Mi-8 helicopter in the skies over the Donetsk region. This may be the first instance in the world where an expensive helicopter was taken down by a small, inexpensive drone. Russian military commanders began posting about the downed helicopter on social media. Footage shared on social networks shows a burning Mi-8 transport helicopter near Donetsk, in the Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine.
According to Forbes, Ukrainian forces deploy over 100,000 explosive FPV drones monthly across the front lines. These drones crash into armored vehicles, pursue exposed infantry, and direct artillery fire back to target Russian howitzers.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have long been attempting to launch attacks using drones with explosive devices. As early as September last year, drone operators tried to attack Russian helicopters with UAVs in the air. The drone threat has grown so significant that the Russian Air Force began assigning helicopters to escort other helicopters.
A Ukrainian operator spotted a Russian Mi-8 helicopter with a crew of three when it was close to the ground. According to an enemy military commander, it was “caught during takeoff.” Attempts to shoot down the Mi-8 reportedly took the drone operator at least 10 months. Therefore, the operator who downed the helicopter was either highly experienced or very lucky. An FPV drone typically carries a small amount of explosives. To shoot down a helicopter, it needs to hit the rotors; a large amount of explosives is not necessary for this task. Over more than two years of war, Ukrainian drone operators have gained significant experience in targeting enemy assets. Thus, hitting the Mi-8’s rotors, which have a diameter exceeding 365 cm, is not a challenging task.
The most impressive aspect might be how far the Russian helicopter was from the front line. The western outskirts of Donetsk are only 5 km from the front line, well within the range of an FPV drone. However, the eastern outskirts of the city are closer to 16 km from the front line. It appears that the attack occurred in this area.
To cover this distance, the FPV drone might require assistance from a second drone positioned several kilometers behind it, intercepting and relaying its command signal over short distances. This is a complex operation requiring meticulous coordination.
Throughout the war against Ukraine, Russia has lost around 100 helicopters. While this loss isn’t catastrophic for the enemy, if the Ukrainian Armed Forces have learned to down helicopters using only drones, they can intensify their efforts to destroy enemy aviation.
It’s worth noting that Ukraine produces about 100,000 such FPV drones per month, which means the threat to Russian helicopters is now increasing.
Source: Forbes
