Ukraine Converts An-28 Into Shahed Drone Hunter

Ukraine is using the An-28 aircraft as a “hunter” to intercept Russian Shahed-type attack drones.

The French television channel TF1 reported on this. Video released by the broadcaster shows the aircraft’s crew using a six-barrel M134 Minigun machine gun to shoot down enemy drones.

French journalists observed the combat mission during a nighttime sortie. According to the report, the An-28 crew consists of civilians who volunteered to help defend Ukraine’s airspace in support of the military.

“It’s two in the morning. There are targets in the air in the southeast. As pilots, we try to counter these drones using our aircraft, shooting them down with a machine gun,” one of the crew members said.

Air traffic controllers direct the crew to the area where Russian drones are flying. The pilot and the operator then have to visually locate the targets in the night sky.

“No sophisticated instruments help them. Here, they search for the drones with their own eyes,” TF1 reported.

The silhouette of a Russian drone is visible beneath the left wing of the An-28. The gunner takes position and brings down the enemy Shahed with a burst from an M134 Minigun.

The crew then shoots down another drone. The hunt continues until dawn. Later, another UAV appears, but it is flying over a village.

“We try to intercept as many as possible and shoot them down in safe areas – fields, forests – but never over homes,” the An-28 pilot emphasizes. He shadows the Shahed for several minutes until it moves away from the village, after which it is also shot down.

During a single night hunt, the aircraft’s crew shot down five Russian drones. French journalists note that overall, the An-28 crew has already destroyed nearly 150 enemy drones launched against Ukrainian cities.

The An-28 is a light twin-engine turboprop aircraft developed by the Antonov Design Bureau. It is used for short-range passenger or cargo transport and was produced at the Polish aircraft manufacturer PZL.