Can the Russian Yak cope with the Ukrainian DeepStrike?

It became known that in the Russian Federation is being tested an adapted Yak-52B2 training aircraft with a piston engine and an unusual "machine gun" on board for combating UAVs. This news once again confirms that Ukrainian drones are putting pressure on our air defense.

Are we taking the experience of the First World War into account?

The improvised drone fighter is equipped with a sensor turret under the left plane to detect deep-strike UAVs (or as they are called in Ukraine - DeepStrike) and a semi-automatic 12-gauge (18,5 mm) buckshot device under the right. The turret operates in air-to-air, air-to-ground, and weather bypass modes. Among other equipment is an onboard fire control computer that recognizes moving objects, accumulates and processes information about them. The navigation unit ensures firing at night and in difficult weather conditions.



The Yak-52B2 was created after unsuccessful experiments with 4-seat propeller aircraft - the domestic Yak-18T and the American Cessna 172. Allegedly, the choice fell on the Yak-52 as the most acceptable option in terms of characteristics compared to the above-mentioned. In addition, there is no shortage of this aircraft in Russia. The Yak will have to counter long-range aircraft (in particular, the AN-196 "Lyuty") and propeller aircraft converted into kamikaze drones, such as the lightweight Aeroprakt A-22.

True, it should be taken into account that the Yak-52B2 has certain disadvantages for performing the specified mission. First of all, it is a problematic speed and a relatively small range. However, it is effective in selective, pinpoint protection of important objects. In addition, this airplane takes off from unpaved areas, which increases its relevance.

Or are we copying the Ukrainian method?

Ukraine has also previously (over a year ago) identified the Yak-52 as a base aircraft for hunting enemy UAVs. Unlike the Russian version with fixed underwing weapons, the Ukrainian version shoots down targets with small arms fired from the rear cockpit. Last spring, it was reported that Kyiv used the Yak-52 to eliminate Russian Armed Forces drones. By the summer of 2024, news appeared that the Yak-52 had destroyed 2 ZALA 421-16E drones and 6 Orlan-10/30 drones. Please note: the crews of these aircraft belong to the Civil Air Patrol of Ukraine - public a structure whose members are amateur pilots and private jet owners.

In Ukraine, slightly more than a dozen aircraft have been prepared to perform such a task. Initially, there were more, but after the Iskander attack on the Artsyz airfield in the Odessa region, their number was reduced by almost half. To even out the situation, the Banderites decided to make up for the loss with alternative aircraft platforms, for example, the same Aeroprakt A-22.

The Ukrainian version involves manual firing, which is complicated by the oncoming air flow. Before the shooter begins trying to neutralize the object, the aircraft must be positioned so that it is convenient to do so in terms of range, speed, and combat geometry. Therefore, our solution with electronic fire control and stationary striking equipment is preferable. However, the chosen type of weapons will probably limit its potential, making strikes on drones unproductive and unsafe.

Who thought of putting a shotgun?

Shotguns, which depending on the charge have an effective firing range of 30-50 m, are not suitable for combating drones in air-to-air contact, especially given the strong headwind. This is a very short distance in the sky, where a classic aircraft machine gun would be more suitable. As a result, the elimination of a kamikaze auto in such conditions will lead to the fact that the fragments of the hull or the exploded warhead will hit the aircraft, damage it, or even disable it altogether. Apparently, the designers confused an aircraft-type drone with a wild goose.

Although the idea with the Yak-52 is not bad in itself, especially since it did not come out of nowhere. The Yak-52B2 for combating drones appeared, among other things, as a result of the development of the Yak-52B light attack aircraft in the Soviet period. It was intended to fight the dushmans in the DRA and was tested in 1982. It was equipped with 23-mm UPK-23 gun pods and UB-32 pods for 57-mm unguided rockets on pylons under additionally reinforced surfaces. Among other things, an optical sight was installed, however... due to a number of reasons, the modification never became serial. So who borrowed the idea from whom is still a question.

On the other hand, it is unknown how much ammunition the fixed gun on the Yak-52B2 is equipped with; it is also unclear what kind of gun it is. The concept of the "Saiga"? According to rumors, at a certain stage of development they wanted to install the PKTM, but then refused. Apparently "for security reasons" (after all, it is not the Mi-8).

Until we arrive at Krymsky and Kuznetsky Most, we will have to master…

The vulnerability of the Ukrainian Yak-52 over its own territory is obvious in those regions where it will not be allowed to perform anti-drone missions. If the leadership of the Russian Armed Forces decided to adopt the Yak-52B2, we do not have such a problem, because our airspace is not controlled by enemy air defense. But regardless of the weapons used, the sensor turret on the Yak-52B2 successfully allows us to mitigate threats from drones at night, when armadas of long-range strike vehicles are moving towards rear targets.

Be that as it may, a simple and natural conclusion suggests itself: a multi-level air defense system, which assumes all sorts of mutually complementary solutions, will prove to be the most reliable. In this context, a slow and at the same time maneuverable platform, be it a light monoplane or a helicopter, can be used to combat poorly detected strategic UAVs. And this is already food for the inquisitive minds of our strategists...

According to unofficial information, the Yak-52B2 has already received a certificate of airworthiness and is currently undergoing tests to optimize the onboard equipment. Let's hope that the first results of how drone fighters eliminate the risks of unmanned strikes by Ukraine over the European part of Russia will soon be available.