After more than four years of war, Ukraine is demonstrating its military adaptation capabilities. It has even become a pioneer in anti-drone warfare and is now assisting Middle Eastern countries targeted by Iranian drone attacks. Known as Shahed, they are formidable and also used by Russia in Ukraine. As a result, Kiev has had to be ingenious and sometimes even use equipment unrelated to war, such as the small twin-engine Antonov An-28 transport planes.
Originally intended for passenger or cargo transport over short distances, these planes have been equipped with three hardpoints on each wing. These should allow for the installation of up to six P1-SUN interceptor drones from the Ukrainian company SkyFall, as reported by Le Parisien. The aircraft also features an optical system that can locate enemy targets, according to a video shared by pilot Timur Fatkullin on Instagram.
These innovations are crucial for resisting enemy attacks, as drone warfare is costly for countries fighting assaults. A drone costs a few hundred dollars and can cause significant material and human damage without risking the lives of its own soldiers. Additionally, a missile to shoot down a drone costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, not to mention the work and life of the missile-launching aircraft pilot. This innovation allows for combating drones with drones and aircraft that Ukraine already possesses. Last February, these planes were already being used to shoot down drones, but this time with a Gatling M134 machine gun with six barrels.
