- Former Antonov An-28 now functions as a mobile anti-drone platform
- Ukrainian crews report destroying 222 Russian Shahed drones using onboard machine gun
- Antonov An-28 supports two drone models, SkyFall P1-Sun and Merops AS-3 Surveyor
A 55-year-old turboprop aircraft originally designed for short-range cargo and passenger flights has found a completely new calling over the Ukrainian skies.
The Antonov An-28, a Soviet-era Russian-designed twin-propeller aircraft, now operates as a mobile anti-drone weapons platform.
Ukrainian forces have equipped this ancient airframe with a six-barreled M134 Minigun, underwing interceptor drones, and virtual reality headsets for night targeting.
Article continues below.
From utility transport to drone hunter
The An-28 was never intended for combat; Its original mission involved transporting supplies and people from short, unimproved airstrips.
The aircraft’s short takeoff and landing capability now serves a different purpose, allowing it to operate from austere forward bases near the front lines.
Ukrainian pilot Tymur Fatkullin, who has documented many improvised aviation initiatives, first posted a video of the armed An-28.
Its crew relies on air traffic controllers to guide them to areas where Russian Shahed drones are active, then uses infrared cameras and night-vision goggles to detect mostly nocturnal targets.
The plane carries an M134 Minigun, a six-barreled Gatling-class weapon capable of destroying slow-moving drones with sustained fire, such as the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
Fatkullin reports that the An-28 has already destroyed 222 Russian drones using weapons alone.
Although the minigun has proven effective, it requires the An-28 to fly within visual range of the target.
Russian Shaheds typically travel in swarms, and a weapon can only attack one drone at a time, a limitation that pushed Ukrainian crews to experiment with a different method.
Instead of relying solely on bullets, the An-28 now carries small interceptor drones under its wings.
These drones are launched from the aircraft and fly towards hostile Shaheds autonomously or under remote piloting.
“We have also tested several other interceptor drones during training flights. You could call it a cheap air-to-air missile,” said Tymur Fatkullin.
There are two models of these inexpensive drones: the SkyFall P1-Sun, which uses a 3D-printed modular airframe and reaches speeds of up to 280 miles per hour, and the Merops AS-3 Surveyor, which carries an explosive warhead for proximity detonation.
Why the old fuselage?
Launching interceptor drones from a turboprop offers several practical advantages over ground-based systems.
The An-28 brings the small drone closer to the target before launching, reducing response time.
When launched from an altitude, it gives the interceptor additional range and kinetic energy.
The aircraft also provides idle time for anti-drone patrols, which crews can set up as a protective screen along predictable Russian flight paths.
However, the main advantage of this old plane is its cost. A single Shahed drone costs Russia between $30,000 and $50,000.
According to the US military, an interceptor drone made by Merops costs around $15,000, with potential reductions of between $3,000 and $5,000 if produced at scale.
The minigun, which fires conventional ammunition, offers an even cheaper cost per kill.
This technology appears to address Russian Shahed drones, but its true test will not come in today’s death count, but in how quickly Russia adapts to this makeshift solution.
If Moscow deploys electronic warfare or faster drones that defeat the current An-28 configuration, the usefulness of the aging turboprop could disappear almost overnight.
Through TWZ
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds.
