- Russia arms Soviet-era aircraft with airborne FPV interceptor drone launch systems
- Yak-52 trainer receives six launch rails for interceptor drone operations
- Eighty-year-old An-2 takes on unexpected role in modern drone air warfare
Russia has begun equipping Yak-52 training aircraft and An-2 utility aircraft with equipment designed to launch FPV interceptor drones against enemy unmanned aerial vehicles.
A video released by Russia’s BARS-Sarmat unit revealed two different aircraft configurations built for airborne drone launches.
One configuration is intended for ground launch, while the second version allows interceptor drones to be deployed directly from the air against approaching targets.
Latest videos ofTechnologyRadar
Yak-52 tests raise questions about cockpit space and drone targets
The Yak-52 training aircraft carries six external launch rails mounted under its wings to keep interceptor drones ready for deployment.
Footage shows the plane taking off with only four drones despite six launch positions visible on the airframe.
The Yak-52 is designed with limited space in the two-seat cockpit, which leaves it unclear how drone control is carried out on board this aircraft, as it appears to leave little room for the equipment normally required to operate FPV interceptor systems in flight.
Russian interceptor drones were also shown attacking several Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles during the same exercise.
Some of the drones attacked during the exercise reportedly appeared to be Mayan decoys, along with several other types of unidentified UAVs caught on camera during flight.
The conversion of the Yak-52 allows an aircraft originally built for pilot training to take on a completely different battlefield role without requiring an entirely new airframe.
Although several technical details remain undisclosed, the aircraft marks Russia’s latest attempt to combine existing aviation platforms with lower-cost anti-drone technology.
An-2’s larger cabin allows for onboard control
The An-2 forms the second element of the program, with its larger cabin providing enough space for onboard drone control equipment not available inside the more compact Yak-52.
The interceptor drones are launched from a fuselage-mounted attachment point, although Russia has not yet revealed the aircraft’s maximum payload or whether additional launch stations will be introduced under the wings.
First introduced some 80 years ago, the An-2 remains one of the longest-serving utility aircraft in the world and continues to operate in both military and civil aviation roles.
Russia has previously announced plans to refurbish 700 Soviet-era An-2 aircraft, making the interceptor drone program another effort to expand the operational value of the aging fleet.
The concept bears similarities to Ukraine’s previous decision to adapt the An-28 aircraft to launch P1-SUN interceptor drones equipped with an optical guidance system against Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles.
Those modified aircraft can carry up to six interceptor drones while also supporting Ukraine’s layered air defense network as a lower-cost alternative to conventional air-to-air missiles.
The latest Russian conversion illustrates how both sides are increasingly adapting legacy aircraft for counter-drone missions by combining older airframes with modern FPV interceptor technology.
Via United 24 Media
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds.
