Minigun on Mi-8: Ukraine Arms Helicopters Against Shahed Drones

In Ukraine, Mi-8 helicopters have been equipped with M134 Minigun machine guns to destroy Russian kamikaze drones.

A video of one of the Shaheds being downed was posted by the Instagram account aero.tim.

The footage shows how the onboard gunner fired several rounds at the drone, after which it lost its course and began to fall.

The M134 Minigun is a six-barreled, electrically operated, 7.62×51 mm NATO-caliber machine gun. Its rate of fire ranges from 2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute.

The Minigun has an eight times higher rate of fire compared to the Mi-8’s standard PKT machine gun.

It is most commonly installed on multi-role helicopters such as the UH-60 Black Hawk, UH-1 Huey or MH-6 Little Bird.

The guns can be stationary or rotatable, allowing for a wide range of fire. The M134 is effective for airborne cover, suppression of firing points, and drone warfare.