Aerial drones with machine guns used in combat

| May 9, 2024 | 12 Comments

The Ukrainians mounted machine guns onto aerial drones and used them in combat. (Reporting from Ukraine/YouTube)

The Ukrainians and the Russians have found novel ways to deal with not having constant air superiority. Without air cover, both sides need to rely on armor, artillery, and traditional tactics. However, with 21st-century technologies, unrestricted warfare methods are also being utilized. The Ukrainians recently mounted machine guns to octocopter drones and used these drones to conduct machine gun fire against advancing Russian infantry. The Ukrainians are still investigating adjustments and designs to address the physics of firing machine guns from aerial drones.

From YouTube Channel reporting Ukraine:

To combat this increased concentration of infantry, Ukrainians began experimenting with new variants of drone warfare. Ukrainians mounted their heavy octocopter drones with machine guns to strafe Russian infantry assaults and fire into the trenches from above. The operators of this drone also stated that Russians did not even try to shoot down these drones, likely in shock and understandable fear of this new tactic.

At the moment, the biggest issue that these drones deal with is the recoil. Some Ukrainians sources mentioned that certain drone teams are already developing and testing various stabilization systems. If the issue is fixed, the drones will become far deadlier than ever before.

Right now, Ukrainians are using two types of drones against the Russian infantry: grenade dropping drones, and kamikaze drones. Dropping grenades accurately is extremely difficult, especially if the infantry is moving, or if the infantry has electronic warfare kits that necessitate operating from a much higher altitude, further reducing the accuracy. The kamikaze drones, in turn, can only be used once.

The development of gun mounts, combined with thermal vision and machine aiming, will change the setting completely.

The balance of the video update, including a partial transcript of the video, can be viewed here.

Category: Russia, Ukraine

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

12 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
KoB

Sky Net…grins!

AW1Ed

Approves.

skynet
Hate_me

SkyNet already beat us with Smartphones, no terminators need apply. If anything, this is SkyNet waging a proxy war.

26Limabeans

Gonna have to armor plate and sandbag the duck blind.

5JC

Nah, just grab a broad spectrum jammer. When the Chinese come for you, free machine gun!

Anna Puma

New use for a 12ga trench sweeper. Just load with 00 buckshot.

Anonymous

Air-to-air drone combat– more fun than Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots!

Claw

Time to consolidate some MOS’s again: 15W/15C/67A1F/7314.

Prior Service

So, Snoopy’s doghouse going after the Red Baron’s ground crew but without Snoopy on top? Crazy.

Jimbo

I was just thinking how a multi shot bow with nice 3” broad heads and a thermal scope on a quad-copter would work on those Russian invaders.

Anna Puma

To give you real warm fuzzies and flashbacks to that Val Kilmer movie on Mars with AIMEE…

Saw a video clip from a South Korean weapons expo and there was this Boston Dynamics looking four-legged robot animal with an EBR mounted to its back. Alas no chain-saw bayonet attachment.

Anonymous

Flamethrower…