How Ukraine's Prop Planes Aim To Destroy Drones Without Using Rifles

Although too light for conventional machine gun or rocket pods, Ukrainian engineers are working on lighter weight alternatives that may make light weight planes more lethal for drone hunting. JL

Defense Express reports:

Although a Yak-52 crew taking down drones has been known since April 2024, it is only recently the idea was scaled up, and A-22 ultralight sport aircraft joined the ranks of Ukrainian drone hunters. The problem is that the method used for taking down the threats is from the World War I era: a crew member shooting at them with a rifle.  Installing pylons for suspension of unguided rockets and machine guns required a re-arrangement of the load-bearing components of the wing as the Yak-52 was too light but Ukrainian engineers are working on it.

Originally intended for sports and pilot training, the Yak-52 propeller-driven aircraft has become an unexpectedly effective asset of Ukraine's air defense against russian reconnaissance drones and loitering munitions. One of them has shot down almost a dozen aerial threats in the skies over the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions of Ukraine's south.

Although the active work by a Yak-52 crew has been known since at least April 2024, it is only recently that the idea was scaled up, and A-22 ultralight sport aircraft joined the ranks of Ukrainian drone hunters. There is a problem though: the method used for taking down the threats is straight from the World War I era: a crew member shooting at them with a rifle.

A Defense Intelligence of Ukraine operator shoots a russian scout drone with a rifle from a sport/trainer aircraft / Screenshot credit: Roman Bochkala

This requires not only the individual skills of the gunner and the pilot but also an impressive level of coordination between them. That brings us to today's question: how this process can be simplified and optimized for better takedown chances?

The answer is closer than it might seem. As one of the most popular among aviation sports clubs, Yak-52 and the possibility of turning it into a full-time combat unit crossed the minds of Soviet engineers a long time ago. A proper sight and a machine gun mount could do the trick in theory, but practice proved it wasn't so easy. A working prototype implementing the concept was created and named Yak-52B.

 

Yak-52B / Open-source archive photo

The history of Yak-52B development is mostly lost, as one version suggests it began before the Soviet–Afghan War in the mid-1970s to assess the feasibility of turning the aircraft of the DOSAAF paramilitary sports organization into combat units. Another theory says it was created based on Afghan experience that showed the importance of having an aircraft for assault and counter-guerilla missions. Note, the Su-25 was yet to appear, with the first two prototypes produced only in 1980, reaching the fleet of 12 operating units by 1981.

In contrast to historical issues, the results of this project are known in quite detail. Installing the pylons for suspension of unguided rockets and machine guns required a re-arrangement of the load-bearing components of the wing. In other words, the serial model of Yak-52 was not suitable for the task.

Yak-52B with UB-32 rocket pods / Open-source archive photo

Then, the biggest challenge emerged, which became fatal to the project: the Yak-52B, with its 1,423 kg of takeoff weight, was too lightweight for firing. When launching unguided rockets, it suffered from an effect similar to adverse yaw, and more importantly, the rocking made a synchronized launch from both rocket pods effectively impossible. Combined, these issues resulted in almost nonexistent fire accuracy.

A similar situation occurred when machine guns were engaged. Particularly, the engineers experimented with GUV-8700 gun pods (weight: 452 kg), each equipped with two GShG 7.62mm machine guns and a single YakB 12.7mm machine gun. Additionally, they worked on installing the UPK-23-250 (weight: 217 kg) with a 23mm GSh-23L autocannon.

As far as known, in 1983, a Yak-52 aircraft on a ground-stationed test bench made 6,100 shots and was approved for mid-flight tests but the program was terminated the same year.

Yak-52B with GUV-8700 gun pods / Open-source archive photo

Since 1983, the only place where the Yak-52B can be found is in museums, although some sources state that the aircraft did perform its maiden flight in 1985. Besides the inability to shoot, the project was killed by the intention to apply armor to this plane, which would mean even more problems.

Moreover, even the base model Yak-52 without any additions could only fly as far as 500 km, an operational range too short for the Soviet military commanders who by that time already had Su-25.

All in all, the example of the Yak-52B program shows that even such a seemingly simple idea as to attach ready-made gun pods to an aircraft, in reality, faces a plethora of new challenges to deal with, turning it into a much more complicated task.