Footage depicting Mi-8 helicopters on a combat mission to take down Shahed-136/131 killer drones has been shared by Tymur Fatkullin, an aerobatics pilot, with approval from the Ukrainian Ground Forces aviation command. The collection of clips from such sorties reveal some interesting modifications done to the Mi-8s.
But first, we have to take a step back and recall early 2024, when helicopters were not so popular as a means of countering Shahed attack waves and were only starting to gain traction in this role. At that time, no additional additions to the standard loadout were noticed, and the drones were shot down with common weapons.
The new footage, on the other hand, shows several improvements at once. For observing the target, closer to the nose, right in front of the landing gear, there's an electro-optical system attached with both a daytime camera and a thermal imaging sensor for night operations.
Another upgrade for nighttime work is a searchlight to illuminate the target. Although we should note here that some helicopters were originally equipped with one, for example, the Ukrainian modification of the Mi-8MTV2 which was seen on the hunt for russian drones in the past, too.
However, more important is the armament upgrade, utilized to intercept and down the Shaheds. Usually, the Mi-8 is equipped with Soviet 7.62 mm machine guns, like the helicopter-adapted version of the PKT. These were quite enough to intercept Shahed drones, especially at such close distances.
Still, the Ukrainian pilots perhaps weren't quite satisfied, so in the video you can some choppers equipped with an American M134 Minigun machine gun on top of standard Soviet machine guns. While the minigun caliber is also 7.62mm (though the cartridge is different in length, of course: 7.62x51mm), its rate of fire eraches a staggering from 3,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute. The PKT pales in comparison with its 500–750 rpm.
Even a short burst from the Minigun simply leaves no chance for the Shahed. This machine gun is installed on the gunner's mount and fired from the side of the helicopter's cabin. First Miniguns were handed to Ukraine in November 2022, and it wasn't seen much ever since.
These modifications to Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters significantly increase the effectiveness in interception of enemy drones, at least in theory and the evidence points to that, too. Besides, they help the crew to be successful at night thanks to the heat imager in the electro-optical system.
