Ukraine Expands Helicopter Forces to Defend Grid and Combat Russian UAV Threats
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Ukraine will create additional helicopter groups and expand army aviation use to counter Russian UAVs that threaten frontline regions and critical energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the October 13 Staff meeting. The move aims to speed intercepts near the border and conserve expensive missiles as Kyiv hardens the grid ahead of winter.
On 13 October 2025, following a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the formation of additional helicopter groups and a broader use of army aviation to counter Russian UAVs threatening frontline regions and critical energy infrastructure. The announcement, delivered on the President’s official channels and echoed by Ukrainian outlets the same day, comes amid sustained strikes that shorten warning times near the border and strain repair crews and emergency services. It matters now because Kyiv is racing to harden the grid ahead of winter while conserving expensive missiles by relying more on agile aviation and mass-produced interceptor drones.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Since the start of Russia’s drone campaign, the platforms publicly documented in Ukrainian service for shooting down UAVs have been Mi-8/17 utility helicopters and Mi-24/35 attack helicopters (Picture source: Ukrainian MoD)
In this concept of operations, Ukraine is building a capability centered on helicopter-based counter-UAV missions integrated with ground air defenses and locally produced interceptors. Rotary-wing teams, mixing utility and attack airframes equipped for night operations, precision door-gun fire, and cueing from radar and EO/IR sensors, are tasked to detect, chase, and disable slow-flying Shahed-type loitering munitions and reconnaissance UAVs over critical nodes such as power plants, substations, and logistics hubs. In parallel, Ukrainian interceptor drones, FPV or dedicated air-to-air designs, aim to reduce the burden on missile-based air defense by providing a cheaper attrition layer. The emphasis is on speed of launch, persistent coverage, and a cost-per-kill that undercuts the price of incoming systems. Public statements by senior commanders describe helicopters as an increasingly integral part of this layered air-defense mix.
Operationally, Kyiv has evolved from ad-hoc drone defenses to a layered construct in which helicopters plug gaps left by missile batteries and mobile guns, while interceptors provide the lowest-cost tool. Zelensky’s 13 October briefing formalized this by ordering additional helicopter groups and prioritizing cooperation with domestic and foreign producers of interceptor drones to reach maximum production volumes. Ukrainian media reports added that these helicopter units would be tasked with detecting and destroying enemy drones and protecting key infrastructure.
Aviation offers specific advantages in this role. Helicopters bring rapid reaction, wide patrol arcs, and precise engagement that reduces collateral damage over cities and power assets, while preserving scarce SAM interceptors for cruise and ballistic threats. Compared with purely ground-based approaches, helicopters can pursue drones beyond point-defense radar footprints and adjust geometry for safe gun runs; compared with interceptor drones alone, crewed aviation offers higher endurance, better sensors, and more resilient C2. Ukrainian officials have recently highlighted how, in favorable conditions, helicopter teams can account for a substantial share of nightly Shahed kills within their sectors, reinforcing the decision to expand this mission set.
Since the start of Russia’s drone campaign, the platforms publicly documented in Ukrainian service for shooting down UAVs have been Mi-8/17 utility helicopters and Mi-24/35 attack helicopters. Multiple verified releases and videos show Mi-8s engaging Shahed-type UAVs with forward-mounted or door-mounted 7.62 mm machine guns, including intercepts recorded over water and near critical facilities. Similar footage documents Mi-24s destroying Shaheds with onboard guns, demonstrating both the Yak-B 12.7 mm gatling installation on Mi-24V variants and fixed-cannon solutions on other models; Ukrainian army aviation brigades have showcased these tactics in official media. While other helicopter types provide surveillance and cueing, such as repurposed Airbus H125/H225 platforms fitted with modern FLIR turrets, public evidence for actual kinetic drone shoot-downs points to the Mi-8/17 and Mi-24/35 families.
The tactics and equipment are evolving. Ground-forces aviation has publicized upgrades and field modifications to improve night detection and engagement, including EO/IR sensor fits and adaptations to weapons fits. Reporting in recent months has described Mi-8 helicopters employing new mounts and fire-control aids for more effective night gunnery, while industry coverage has pointed to laser-guided 70 mm rockets as a potential precision option where rules of engagement permit, complementing gunfire against slow movers. These steps aim to extend identification ranges, reduce engagement windows, and maintain safety over urban and energy-sector sites.
Strategically, expanding army aviation for counter-UAV defense is intended to stabilize the national power system before winter, deter coercive strikes on the grid, and sustain industrial output and civilian morale. Geopolitically, the move signals to partners ahead of upcoming Ramstein-format engagements that Ukraine is investing in affordable layers that make donated high-end systems more effective, and it nudges European initiatives to accelerate tooling while Kyiv leverages U.S. pathways in parallel. Militarily, additional helicopter groups should shorten response times in border oblasts with minimal flight-time warnings, harden logistics corridors, and impose costs on Russia’s nightly drone-saturation tactics, an approach Ukrainian commanders say has already yielded significant effects when weather and cueing are favorable.
Kyiv’s decision on 13 October to stand up additional helicopter groups and deepen integration with mass interceptor-drone production marks a deliberate shift toward faster, cheaper, and more resilient air defense over the energy grid and rear infrastructure. If implemented at scale and paired with sustained partner deliveries, this aviation-centric layer should help conserve missiles, raise nightly interception rates, and narrow the window in which Russian UAVs can disrupt power, logistics, and civilian life. The operational record to date, Mi-8/17 and Mi-24/35 helicopters documented shooting down Shaheds with onboard guns, supported by upgraded sensors and cueing, provides a concrete baseline for the expanded mission set now ordered.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Ukraine will create additional helicopter groups and expand army aviation use to counter Russian UAVs that threaten frontline regions and critical energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the October 13 Staff meeting. The move aims to speed intercepts near the border and conserve expensive missiles as Kyiv hardens the grid ahead of winter.
On 13 October 2025, following a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the formation of additional helicopter groups and a broader use of army aviation to counter Russian UAVs threatening frontline regions and critical energy infrastructure. The announcement, delivered on the President’s official channels and echoed by Ukrainian outlets the same day, comes amid sustained strikes that shorten warning times near the border and strain repair crews and emergency services. It matters now because Kyiv is racing to harden the grid ahead of winter while conserving expensive missiles by relying more on agile aviation and mass-produced interceptor drones.
Since the start of Russia’s drone campaign, the platforms publicly documented in Ukrainian service for shooting down UAVs have been Mi-8/17 utility helicopters and Mi-24/35 attack helicopters (Picture source: Ukrainian MoD)
In this concept of operations, Ukraine is building a capability centered on helicopter-based counter-UAV missions integrated with ground air defenses and locally produced interceptors. Rotary-wing teams, mixing utility and attack airframes equipped for night operations, precision door-gun fire, and cueing from radar and EO/IR sensors, are tasked to detect, chase, and disable slow-flying Shahed-type loitering munitions and reconnaissance UAVs over critical nodes such as power plants, substations, and logistics hubs. In parallel, Ukrainian interceptor drones, FPV or dedicated air-to-air designs, aim to reduce the burden on missile-based air defense by providing a cheaper attrition layer. The emphasis is on speed of launch, persistent coverage, and a cost-per-kill that undercuts the price of incoming systems. Public statements by senior commanders describe helicopters as an increasingly integral part of this layered air-defense mix.
Operationally, Kyiv has evolved from ad-hoc drone defenses to a layered construct in which helicopters plug gaps left by missile batteries and mobile guns, while interceptors provide the lowest-cost tool. Zelensky’s 13 October briefing formalized this by ordering additional helicopter groups and prioritizing cooperation with domestic and foreign producers of interceptor drones to reach maximum production volumes. Ukrainian media reports added that these helicopter units would be tasked with detecting and destroying enemy drones and protecting key infrastructure.
Aviation offers specific advantages in this role. Helicopters bring rapid reaction, wide patrol arcs, and precise engagement that reduces collateral damage over cities and power assets, while preserving scarce SAM interceptors for cruise and ballistic threats. Compared with purely ground-based approaches, helicopters can pursue drones beyond point-defense radar footprints and adjust geometry for safe gun runs; compared with interceptor drones alone, crewed aviation offers higher endurance, better sensors, and more resilient C2. Ukrainian officials have recently highlighted how, in favorable conditions, helicopter teams can account for a substantial share of nightly Shahed kills within their sectors, reinforcing the decision to expand this mission set.
Since the start of Russia’s drone campaign, the platforms publicly documented in Ukrainian service for shooting down UAVs have been Mi-8/17 utility helicopters and Mi-24/35 attack helicopters. Multiple verified releases and videos show Mi-8s engaging Shahed-type UAVs with forward-mounted or door-mounted 7.62 mm machine guns, including intercepts recorded over water and near critical facilities. Similar footage documents Mi-24s destroying Shaheds with onboard guns, demonstrating both the Yak-B 12.7 mm gatling installation on Mi-24V variants and fixed-cannon solutions on other models; Ukrainian army aviation brigades have showcased these tactics in official media. While other helicopter types provide surveillance and cueing, such as repurposed Airbus H125/H225 platforms fitted with modern FLIR turrets, public evidence for actual kinetic drone shoot-downs points to the Mi-8/17 and Mi-24/35 families.
The tactics and equipment are evolving. Ground-forces aviation has publicized upgrades and field modifications to improve night detection and engagement, including EO/IR sensor fits and adaptations to weapons fits. Reporting in recent months has described Mi-8 helicopters employing new mounts and fire-control aids for more effective night gunnery, while industry coverage has pointed to laser-guided 70 mm rockets as a potential precision option where rules of engagement permit, complementing gunfire against slow movers. These steps aim to extend identification ranges, reduce engagement windows, and maintain safety over urban and energy-sector sites.
Strategically, expanding army aviation for counter-UAV defense is intended to stabilize the national power system before winter, deter coercive strikes on the grid, and sustain industrial output and civilian morale. Geopolitically, the move signals to partners ahead of upcoming Ramstein-format engagements that Ukraine is investing in affordable layers that make donated high-end systems more effective, and it nudges European initiatives to accelerate tooling while Kyiv leverages U.S. pathways in parallel. Militarily, additional helicopter groups should shorten response times in border oblasts with minimal flight-time warnings, harden logistics corridors, and impose costs on Russia’s nightly drone-saturation tactics, an approach Ukrainian commanders say has already yielded significant effects when weather and cueing are favorable.
Kyiv’s decision on 13 October to stand up additional helicopter groups and deepen integration with mass interceptor-drone production marks a deliberate shift toward faster, cheaper, and more resilient air defense over the energy grid and rear infrastructure. If implemented at scale and paired with sustained partner deliveries, this aviation-centric layer should help conserve missiles, raise nightly interception rates, and narrow the window in which Russian UAVs can disrupt power, logistics, and civilian life. The operational record to date, Mi-8/17 and Mi-24/35 helicopters documented shooting down Shaheds with onboard guns, supported by upgraded sensors and cueing, provides a concrete baseline for the expanded mission set now ordered.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
