Drone-Downing Ukrainian Piston Planes Annoying Russians

Following the success of taking out Russian drones with shotguns in a Yak-52, the military is now training to use the rag-and-tube A-22.

Russ Niles

Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 04:02 PM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

Foxbat LSA [Credit: Neil Bassett/ Foxbat UK]

Key Takeaways:

Ukrainians are repurposing light aircraft, specifically the Aeroprakt A-22 (Foxbat LSA) and Yak-52, to intercept and shoot down Russian drones.
Pilots and rear gunners equipped with shotguns are being trained to use these "rag-and-tube" planes for drone defense, a role the Yak-52 has already performed successfully, reportedly downing 12 Russian reconnaissance UAVs.
This innovative and cost-effective tactic is proving highly effective and is a significant source of frustration for Russian forces and bloggers, who are calling for countermeasures.

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The ever-resourceful Ukrainians have found another use for the homegrown Aeroprakt A-22 (sold as the Foxbat LSA in the U.S.), and it’s really annoying the Russians.

After a few months of success with air force pilots and rear gunners with shotguns taking out Russian drones in a Yak-52, the Ukraine military is now training pilots and gunners to use the rag-and-tube A-22 to do the same. Previously the light sport aircraft (LSA) have been used as single-use flying bombs and have taken out some high-value targets.