Ukrainian 400 dollar FPV drone downs Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter over Belgorod
A $400 Ukrainian FPV drone brought down a $19 million Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter over the Belgorod region, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces say. The drone struck from above near the rotor, where armor offers no protection. Cheap interceptors now reach manned aircraft in fli
A $400 Ukrainian FPV drone brought down a $19 million Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter over Russia's Belgorod region on July 15, according to Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces and the defense outlet Militarnyi. Commander Robert Brovdi announced the intercept, crediting operators of the 427th RAROG unit. Militarnyi reports the strike happened near the village of Vyazovoye. The weapon was a Shrike 10 FPV drone made by Ukrainian firm SkyFall, which costs roughly $400 to produce. The Mi-28 Night Hunter it destroyed is one of Russia's most heavily armored gunships. The method matters as much as the result. The drone climbed above the helicopter and struck near the main rotor assembly, a blind spot the armor plating does not cover. Serious damage there typically causes loss of control. The cost asymmetry is the story for every air force watching: a weapon priced like a consumer gadget removed an aircraft worth roughly 47,000 times more. Helicopters operating close to the front line now face a class of threat that ground-based air defense was never cheap enough to pose.