It may be the first time a drone has destroyed a helicopter in mid-air.

It may be the first time a drone has destroyed a helicopter in mid-air.

Ukrainian forces deploy more than 100,000 explosive first-person-view drones a month all along the 700-mile front line of Russia’s 28-month wider war on Ukraine. The drones smash into armored vehicles, chase down exposed infantry and follow artillery fire back to its origin in order to target Russian howitzers.

And today one of the small quadcopter drones—remotely steered by an operator wearing a virtual-reality headset—shot down a Russian helicopter, apparently for the first time.

Photos and videos that circulated on social media depict the Mil Mi-8 transport helicopter burning near Donetsk in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. “A speedy recovery to the survivors,” one Russian blogger wrote.

This new use of explosive drones has been a long time coming. As long ago as September, Ukrainian operators first tried ramming their flying robots into Russian helicopters mid-flight. The drone threat got so serious that the Russian air force began assigning some helicopters to escort other helicopters.

  • Tryptaminev@lemm.eeEnglish
    15·
    4 months ago

    Wasn’t the last US aid package some 60 Billion dollars or so? Assuming thats for a year, that would make it about 5 Billion a month. So even if every drone would cost 5.000 Dollars, it would add up to about 10% of that budget.

    And from what things in Ukraine look like, we hit a new era of warfare, with a change similiar in scope to the invention of the machinegun.

    • SkyezOpen@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      4 months ago

      Commercial quads are 200-500 bucks. Ukraine has been making their own which significantly reduces cost. A somewhat comparable piece of equipment, the switchblade, is between 60-80k per drone and is only effective against infantry and light vehicles. The US MIC must be frothing mad right now.

      • oyo@lemm.eeEnglish
        3·
        4 months ago

        The US MIC doesn’t give a fuck because the DOD will never pay a reasonable price for anything, ever.

        • KevonLooney@lemm.eeEnglish
          2·
          4 months ago

          That’s not really true. All that stuff about “$50K toilets! $5K screwdrivers!” includes shipping and installation in a warzone. Try asking for that on Task Rabbit and see what price you get.