Is Ukraine Using Old Polish ‘Skytruck’ Plane to Hunt Russian Drones?
AI Analysis
Ukraine has repurposed a Polish PZL M28 Skytruck aircraft, originally based on a Soviet-era design, into a drone-hunting gunship equipped with a door-mounted M-134 minigun. This aircraft has reportedly shot down nearly 150 Russian drones, including Shahed-style kamikaze drones, showcasing innovative counter-UAS tactics in the ongoing conflict.
Key Takeaways
- Ukraine is using a modified PZL M28 Skytruck aircraft for counter-drone operations.
- The aircraft is equipped with a door-mounted M-134 minigun for targeting drones.
- The crew has reportedly downed nearly 150 Russian drones, including Shahed-style kamikaze drones.
- The Skytruck is a Polish variant of the Soviet AN-28 aircraft, repurposed for modern warfare.
- The conflict highlights the increasing use of repurposed aircraft for counter-UAS roles by both sides.
Why It Matters
This development underscores Ukraine's adaptability in countering Russian drone threats by repurposing older aircraft into effective counter-UAS platforms. It also reflects the evolving nature of drone warfare, where both sides are innovating rapidly to gain aerial superiority, making counter-UAS capabilities a critical component of modern military strategy.
A Ukrainian airborne team has been using what appears to be a Polish plane based on a Soviet-era design to hunt and shoot down Russian drones, according to media reports.
A video report from French broadcaster TF1 published on Wednesday showed a reporter join a Ukrainian volunteer drone-hunting unit that uses an “old military plane dating from the Soviet era” as part of Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
The footage shows the repurposed cargo plane, fitted with guns on its side, approach Shahed-style kamikaze drones apparently en route to potential targets before its gunners shoot down the objects.
The crew in the footage has downed close to 150 such drones, TF1 reported, citing one pilot as saying: “We’re moving from drone hunting to real aerial combat with these drones because they’re evolving so fast.”
Ukrainian forces turned a PZL M28 Skytruck into a fixed wing drone hunting gunship, equipped with a door-mounted M-134 minigun. The aircraft has already downed nearly 120 Russian drones. pic.twitter.com/oIbeh0fXbm
While the outlet describes the repurposed cargo plane as “an old Soviet aircraft”, Polish news site Forsal reported on Thursday that it may have been produced in Poland.
The plane in the video appears to be either a Soviet AN-28 or its Polish variant, the PZL M28 utility aircraft.
Poland began manufacturing its own versions of the aircraft from the 1980s, with the Polish-made planes eventually receiving the designation “Skytruck.”
The extensive use of drones in the war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, has led to both sides using repurposed aircraft to counter unmanned aerial vehicles.