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 multifunctional display in the rear cockpit. " The navigation and flight equipment, the electronic warfare system for suppressing communication channels, and the radar will be modernized, " RIA Novosti quoted Motin as saying.
Ukraine has established the first dedicated 'drone force' as the use of drones continues rewrite the way war is fought in Ukraine. The drone war The drone war in Ukraine is producing (or maturing) many world firsts in drone warfare . Both the Ukrainians and Russians are pouring vast amounts of work into developing and countering drones on the battlefield.
The pace at which the drone war is developing means that one year looks completely different from the last. The use of drones in 2024 is massively different from 2023, which was, in turn, a massive development over 2022. Besides electronic warfare, counter-drone measures include machine-gunning them down WWII-style, creating bizarre "turtle tanks," putting extensive wired netting over potential targets (including oil refineries) and using other drones to shoot down other drones .
Drones are now targeting military helicopters in flight over the battlefield . Ukraine was first observed using Yak-52 trainers to shoot down Russian recon drones over Ukraine. Since then, that Yak (or another one) has been pictured with at least eight Russian drone kills painted on it.
Using finite and expensive interceptor missiles to shoot down masses of cheap drones is impractical. Both sides are looking for cheaper countermeasures to counter drones (even the US Navy is looking for cheap countermeasures ). When it comes to kinetic kills (as opposed to electronic warfare), a reoccurring solution often seems to be to pair modern guidance systems with WWII-era machine guns and flak fire.
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