Ukrainian Mi-24V helicopter shot down Russian Shahed with machine gun

29 August, 2024 The Mi-24V of the 18th Army Aviation Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with pods for S-8 rockets which was handed over by the Czech Republic A Ukrainian Mi-24V combat helicopter destroyed a Russian Shahed kamikaze drone with a machine gun. Shrike News Telegram channel published the video of the incident.

The footage captures the moment when a Ukrainian Mi-24B helicopter intercepted a Russian kamikaze drone, destroyed by an onboard machine gun. To intercept the enemy drone, the helicopter leveled off in height and speed with the enemy aircraft and destroyed it with the USPU-24 nose turret, which was stabilized in two axes.

The USPU-24 is equipped with YakB-12.7 12.7mm four-barrel machine guns, which can fire 4000-5000 rounds per minute and have an ammunition capacity of 1470 rounds. Due to the swivel system, it is possible to fire at an angle of +-60 in the horizontal plane, 20 up and 40 down. An operator controls the machine gun using a KPS-53AV sighting station with a KS-53 collimator sight.

This is not the first time that helicopters have been used to intercept and destroy low-flying aircraft.

USPU-24 nose turret with a YakB-12,7 four-barreled machine gun. Photo from open sources

Thus, enemy kamikaze drones were intercepted using Mi-8 transport helicopters, which destroyed them with fire from onboard turret machine guns. One such incident occurred on August 20, when an onboard gunner of a Mi-8 helicopter of the Army Aviation shot down a Russian Shahed-136 attack drone.

When the helicopter and the kamikaze drone were at a relative speed level, the turret gunner with an FN MAG 7.62mm machine gun started firing in its direction.

Recently, a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter shot down a Russian Shahed attack drone with fire from a nose-mounted machine gun.