Summary Yak-52 twin-seat trainers in Russia being upgraded to combat drones. New modifications include advanced instrumentation and electronic warfare systems. Growing drone war in Ukraine leading to unique battlefield innovations.
The state-run Russian news outlet RIA Novosti has reported that it will modernize the single-engine propeller-driven Yak-52 training aircraft to fight Ukrainian drones . This comes months after Ukraine was observed using Yak-52s to shoot down Russian drones over the Ukrainian city of Odesa , where a passenger in the two-seat trainer shot down the recon drones with machine guns. It is often said there is nothing new in this world, and sometimes, new adaptations and advancements seem to be part of an historical cosplay.
Yak-52 twin-seat trainers to be used to shoot down drones RIA Novosti reports that modernized Yak-52 training aircraft will be modified in Russia to combat drones to a new variant called the Yak-52B2. The publication quoted Dmitry Motin - the head of the project to adapt the Yak-52 at the Russian Aviasroitel Design Bureau. "Today, one of the priority projects for our bureau is the modernization of the Yak-52 training aircraft into the Yak-52B2 'UAV countermeasure aircraft' modification.
At present, we are expecting to receive an airworthiness certificate from the Federal Air Transport Agency." - Aviasroitel Design Bureau According to Motin, the drone-hunting Yak-52 variant will receive new instrumentation that will include a multifunc.