Air war over Ukraine sees high-tech drones being taken out by 1970s prop planes
A selfie taken by a Ukrainian defender from the cockpit of a very low-tech propeller-driven aircraft shows it doing battle with a very high-tech 21st century weapon – a Russian drone.
The plane in question is a Yak-52, an old Soviet-era trainer repurposed in the fight to help stop the enemy's relentless attacks on the population of Kyiv and the surrounding cities and villages.
This time the pilot simply nudges what turns out to be a Zala reconnaissance drone out of the sky with a wing – a manoeuvre once carried out by Spitfire pilots to destabilise the gyroscopes in the drones of their day, Nazi Germany's V-1 flying bombs.
Aerial gunnery redefined
The Yak-52 is also recapturing the spirit of the Spitfire in dealing with the V-1, but unlike that aircraft its guns are being aimed by an observer seated in the rear of this two-seater aircraft as the pilot engages in dog fight-style aerobatics to get close enough for a good shot.
The idea to combine an aerial gunner with a pilot began in the First World War in the infancy of aerial and ground attack combat – now fast-forward to the skies of modern-day Ukraine, it's a tactic that's still alive and kicking.
We also got to see an enemy-eye view from the onboard camera of a Russian drone being relentlessly pursued by a Yak-52.
You can see how it works – simple and effective expert flying and marksmanship.
The perfect drone-catcher
The Yakovlev Yak-52 is a Soviet-designed two-seat primary trainer aircraft used extensively by Eastern Bloc countries for pilot training.
A late 1970s design, it was manufactured by the Romanian company Aerostar under licence from Moscow. Its top speed is 177mph, with a range of 342 miles.
The tandem cockpit has dual controls for an instructor and student. It also has retractable tricycle landing gear, which was unusual for Soviet aircraft at that time.
And with its powerful radial engine and ability to withstand G-forces, it's also a favourite with civilian pilots performing aerobatics.
That all makes it a perfect drone-catcher!
Russia plays copycat
The incredible Ukrainian footage was released by personnel of the 11th Separate Army Aviation Brigade "Kherson", clearing the skies of Russian drones.
The footage shows a Russian long-range one-way attack drone being gunned down with a firearm by a Ukrainian serviceman flying aboard a Yak-52.
Of course, whatever the Ukrainians reinvent for this war is copied by the Russians, and they too have enlisted the Yak-52 to wage war on drones in President Putin's so-called Special Military Operation.
So Ukraine has made sure to target any of the Russian aircraft it sees – eradicating another threat to its own drones fighting to defend Ukraine from enemy attack.
It's thought some 1,800 to 1,900 Yakovlev Yak-52 aircraft were built between 1977 and 1998 in Romania.
Exactly how many are flying for both sides of this war is unclear, but it seems the new age of the drone has heralded a revival of the humble propeller-driven monoplane on the frontline in the air.
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