07/20/2025
Recently, a photo appeared on the Internet of how a light-engine piston Yak-52 aircraft successfully destroyed a Shahed-136 kamikaze drone. This is not the first time such aircraft have been used to intercept UAVs, but this practice is not widely advertised.
According to military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko, Yak-52 aircraft have shown their high efficiency in intercepting reconnaissance drones, but they are not suitable for intercepting Shahed-136. The expert wrote about this in his Telegram channel.
According to Kovalenko, intercepting a Shahed-136 with a 90 kg warhead littered with shrapnel critically depends on the skill of both the gunner and the pilot. The slightest mistake can cost the crew their lives.
The military analyst emphasized that the Yak-52 is not intended for combat work. Therefore, using the aircraft to intercept strike drones is a controversial decision. Kovalenko stated that for such tasks a full-fledged light-engine combat aircraft with appropriate characteristics and especially with armored cabins is needed.
“The Yak-52 is not a solution, it is a tool for a hopeless situation. A hopeless situation that arose due to ignoring the issue of acquiring light-engine aircraft for years. If our pilots had analogues of the Super Tucano or OA-1K Skyraider II, there would be a completely different level of control over the rear skies,” Kovalenko said.
As a reminder, the Russian Federation carried out a massive drone strike on Odessa. A high-rise building caught fire in the city, and there are victims and injured people.
As OBOZ.UA reported, during a massive combined attack on the night of July 19, the sky defenders shot down 185 drones, seven ballistic and seven cruise missiles of the Russian Federation; another seven missiles and 129 UAV simulators did not reach their targets. 35 air attack vehicles were recorded hitting 12, and the downed ones fell at seven locations.
Cool! ✌🇺🇦✌