Ukrainian drones have begun to be equipped with shotguns to counter Russian drones.

The National Information Portal Tysk reported on this and published footage of the Foundation to help the defenders of Ukraine.

The released videos show the “flying gun” approaching enemy drones, firing a shot at close range, after which the enemy drones fall down.

Information about the developer of this solution, its production volumes, and the platform on which the weapon is installed remains unknown.

Given that, at least visually, the drone appears to be confidently holding the shotgun recoil, so it’s safe to assume that it’s a heavy lift drone.

The type of shotgun and its ammunition is also not specified, but it is likely that a light automatic gun available on the civilian market, such as the Hatsan BTS, Hatsan Escort SD12 or Typhoon F12, was used. However, it is possible that the gun is designed for only one shot.

The released footage shows that the drone is equipped with a specialized dynamic optical module with an as yet unknown degree of freedom. Only vertical turns are shown.

It is also noticeable that the drone’s interface has a special sight adapted for the use of small arms.

Gun-Armed Drones

In November, Militarnyi reported that the Ukrainian Defense Forces had used an FPV drone armed with a Kalashnikov 5.45 mm assault rifle (AK-74).

The drone was used to repel an assault by Russian troops in the area of Velyka Novosilka, the Donetsk region.

The “Queen of Hornets” drone, equipped with an AK-74 rifle, was sent to clear the Russian infantry. The Wild Hornets specified that the invention had been designed and tested by the fighters of the BULAVA unit.

During the mission, the assault rifle sustained several bullet impacts, but remained operational and continued to fire.

It is worth reminding that the same unit has already installed a Bulspike-AP grenade launcher on the “Queen of Hornets.”

The Ukrainian Defense Forces have already experimented with installing small arms on multicopter drones.

In particular, photos of a DJI Agras T30 drone with a PKM 7.62 mm machine gun and a Bullspike anti-tank grenade launcher were shared online.

As previously reported, Russian engineers are experimenting with installing anti-tank missile systems on unmanned aerial vehicles.

The released video shows the take-off and landing of a drone armed with a 9К111 Fagot ATGM, as well as a shot from it.