Miniguns vs. Moscow: On the Front Lines of the Drone Wars | RECOIL
AI Analysis
The article highlights an off-the-books anti-drone team operating in Ukraine, led by Tim and Sergey, who innovate in drone warfare tactics. They work in a gray zone between Ukraine's Territorial Defense units and the air force, utilizing unconventional methods and equipment.
Key Takeaways
- Tim and Sergey lead an experimental anti-drone team in Ukraine.
- The team operates independently, allowing for tactical innovation.
- They use a Soviet-era airfield as their base of operations.
- Their approach is influenced by extreme sports backgrounds.
- They work between Ukraine's Territorial Defense and air force.
Why It Matters
This development signifies a shift towards more flexible and innovative approaches in counter-UAS operations, particularly in conflict zones like Ukraine. It highlights the importance of adaptability and unconventional tactics in modern drone warfare, potentially influencing future military strategies and policies.
Miniguns vs. Moscow: On the Front Lines of the Drone Wars | RECOIL -- --
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Miniguns vs. Moscow: On the Front Lines of the Drone Wars
February 17, 2026
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Photos by Aerotim, Ira Suldina, and Iain Harrison
It’s 11:43 p.m., we’re barreling down country lanes on a frigid December night, doing well over twice the posted speed limit, and I’m stuffed in the back of a Mini Clubman next to a child’s car seat. Sergey, our driver, is running through an inch-perfect rhythm of braking point, entry, apex, and exit while metal blasts from the sound system. A few minutes ago, Tim, who’s currently occupying the right front seat, poked his head into my room as I was getting ready to call it a night. “Iain, it’s happening. Let’s go.”
I grabbed some warm gear, threw my pants back on, and all three of us hustled to the car. After a few minutes, we pulled off the highway and onto a dirt road, just as the opening bars of Rammstein’s “Feuer Frei” came over the speakers. How very apt.
Our destination was a Soviet-era agricultural airfield that appeared to have been untouched since the Reagan administration. Piles of discarded tires were placed seemingly at random, while the tarmac was fissured and strewn with last season’s weeds, poking defiantly from wide cracks.
Off to one side was a Polish-built copy of the Antonov An-28 utility aircraft which up until recently had been gathering moss at another airstrip close by, before it was rescued for its current mission. We parked the car under cover, and Sergey graciously let me out of the back seat, as the child locks were enabled. Safety first.
Tim and Sergey are the nucleus of an off-the-books anti-drone team, a crazy idea born from a lifetime of extreme sports. They look like brothers. Early 30s, about 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, rangy, and lean. If this was a 1950s movie, Tim would be the leading man and Sergey his loyal henchman — or possibly the villain.
Both are skydivers, and while Tim’s favored powersport is pushing an aerobatic aircraft to the limits, Sergey is a champion freestyle motocross artist, who’s well on his way to breaking as many bones as Travis Pastrana.
They operate in a gray zone between Ukraine’s Territorial Defense units and the air force — the first experimental squadron, who are free to innovate when it comes to tactics and equipment, in contrast to more traditional force structures.