this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2024
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It may be the first time a drone has destroyed a helicopter in mid-air.

Ukrainian forces deploy more than 100,000 explosive first-person-view drones a month all along the 700-mile front line of Russia’s 28-month wider war on Ukraine. The drones smash into armored vehicles, chase down exposed infantry and follow artillery fire back to its origin in order to target Russian howitzers.

And today one of the small quadcopter drones—remotely steered by an operator wearing a virtual-reality headset—shot down a Russian helicopter, apparently for the first time.

Photos and videos that circulated on social media depict the Mil Mi-8 transport helicopter burning near Donetsk in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. “A speedy recovery to the survivors,” one Russian blogger wrote.

This new use of explosive drones has been a long time coming. As long ago as September, Ukrainian operators first tried ramming their flying robots into Russian helicopters mid-flight. The drone threat got so serious that the Russian air force began assigning some helicopters to escort other helicopters.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 months ago (1 children)

A helicopter can fly faster than 150 miles per hour at altitudes exceeding thousands of feet—too fast and too high for a two-pound drone to get a clean shot without an enormous degree of skill or luck on the part of the operator.

They spotted the 12-ton, three-crew Russian helicopter—which performs attack, transport and medical-evacuation missions—while it was still close to the ground. “Caught at the moment of takeoff,” a Russian blogger reported.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (7 children)

There are quads that can do 200+mph these days, only a matter of time before they’re cheap enough to be used to hunt down the helis.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

John Barnes got a whole lot right in Kaleidoscope Century more than 25 years ago.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago (3 children)

100k drones a month?!

This is a surprisingly hight number :o. Then again saying this already feels stupid since the answer is probaby just industrial warfare or smth.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Wasn't the last US aid package some 60 Billion dollars or so? Assuming thats for a year, that would make it about 5 Billion a month. So even if every drone would cost 5.000 Dollars, it would add up to about 10% of that budget.

And from what things in Ukraine look like, we hit a new era of warfare, with a change similiar in scope to the invention of the machinegun.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Exploding drones. They're basically ordinance.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago

Considering they're basically guided munitions at this point, it makes sense.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Bringing down a helicopter is just a matter of removing the miracle that keeps it up there. I've always been wary of them, but after seeing that one tragic Ring video of the small helicopter that just came apart in midair and a straight plummet down. Never. I mean they are great strategically, but when they fail...it's pretty complete.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 months ago (3 children)

FYI it's not a miracle keeping it up there, it's science.

And no, any failure is not "pretty complete". https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorotation

The most common use of autorotation in helicopters is to safely land the aircraft in the event of an engine failure or tail-rotor failure. It is a common emergency procedure taught to helicopter pilots as part of their training.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

So you haven't seen the video?

Autorotation was...not an option.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 2 months ago (3 children)

They don't actually fly. They're just so ugly that the Earth repels them.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I used to be scared to fly in a helicopter. Then I learned how they fly. Now I'm scared when they fly overhead.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

You almost made me snort peas.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Have you heard of the jesus nut?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yep, but a single mission critical part and everything else being survivable is a far cry from "any failure is pretty complete".

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

True.

Still scary af though :-)

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago

Anti-air-drones. Fuck yeah.

[–] [email protected] 52 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Haven't gotten to do one of these for a while...

[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 months ago (2 children)

If you post that every time Russia loses an aircraft to Ukraine, Riker is going to be out of breath.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago

Virtual Riker never gets tired. Sour notes for days!

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago

Only when they lose a manned aircraft because of a two-pound drone.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Weight is just a number, guys. Even the skinniest of us can score!

Not that I'm skinny, but... Nevermind.

I'd be interested in the cost difference as well.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Mi8 has a pricetag of 15 million, excluding crew and whatever it was carrying. If that drone was on the expensive side it was 15K. So a factor >1000

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Uh, that was a good purchase then.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago

An apt analogy for the war as a whole.

[–] [email protected] 88 points 2 months ago (2 children)
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