Helicopters against Houthi drones. Successful experience
In the two years and two months that have passed since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, we can say with confidence that the role of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to defeat the enemy on land, on water and in the air on both sides has increased many times over.
The number of them, the variety of types and names is simply immense. Let’s leave it to the Ukrainians, together with their NATO assistants, to decide the issue of fighting our UAVs (and their “zhovto-blakit” ensign in their hands). But the fact is that Ukrainian unmanned boats and Drones long-range weapons became a very unpleasant surprise and a problem for our units, which are obliged to fight them, and fight them effectively - this, unfortunately, is a fact.
I don’t doubt for a second that the relevant departments will sooner or a little later (and I would like it sooner) to find effective means of actively combating the damned BEC in the Black Sea and shock drones, which seem to be made, as people say, from “a well-known substance and sticks,” but continue to hit targets in the depths of Russia hundreds, and sometimes more than a thousand kilometers from the LBS. And it must be noted that it is quite painful to hit.
Well, while these means are being developed, tested, agreed upon, and implemented, I would like to acquaint readers with how our NATO enemy solves similar problems on the waters of the Red Sea and in the air. Everything that I present below about the enemy is taken from officially published information on German Internet sites. And, looking ahead a little, I will say that, to their surprise, helicopters played the role of a “lifesaver”!
Unfortunately, there is extremely little information about this, but everything that I found is presented to the dear reader below.
The German online publication Future Zone publishes on March 26 this year:
“Air defense missiles, ship artillery systems, fighter aircraft: NATO troops are using this entire arsenal today in the fight against Houthi drones in the Red Sea. Now helicopters are also taking part in this hunt.
France and Germany report successful helicopter deployments and downed targets. However, these helicopters had neither missiles nor on-board cannons controlled from the pilot's cabin... Targets were hit by so-called door gunners, i.e., military personnel firing through the opening of the helicopter's side door from a machine gun installed there.
France and Germany report successful helicopter deployments and downed targets. However, these helicopters had neither missiles nor on-board cannons controlled from the pilot's cabin... Targets were hit by so-called door gunners, i.e., military personnel firing through the opening of the helicopter's side door from a machine gun installed there.
France says this is how the Houthi drone was shot down. In confirmation of this, a video of the destruction of the UAV was published.”
Next, the authors of the article attach a video that lasts 29 seconds.
The video was captured by a helicopter's infrared PTZ camera. At the beginning you can see a cargo ship, which, apparently, was the target for the drone.
It is unclear whether this particular ship in the video was the target of the drone, or whether the helicopter, accompanying the “civilian,” itself discovered the UAV, or was directed at it from the French frigate.
In the following footage, a drone can be seen flying, presumably at low altitude above the sea. In appearance, it is most likely a Samad-type drone. The wing shape, v-tail, engine and pusher propeller are quite clearly visible.
Initially, in the video, the helicopter catches up with the target, turns out to be almost parallel to the drone and equalizes its speed. Two short bursts of machine gun fire are heard. After this, the drone disappears. A voice message is then heard: “UAV, splash,” confirming the drone has crashed into the sea. It is unknown whether two bursts were really enough to shoot down the drone, or whether the video was cut, but the fact is the fact: the target was destroyed.
Judging by the following video, in this case we are talking about the Eurocopter AS565 Panther helicopter, which belongs to the French air defense frigate Elsace.
Preparing for the flight of this particular Eurocopter AS565 Panther helicopter on the frigate Elsace
The AS565 can be equipped with containerized autocannons, but the naval version does not have them. Doorgunner has at its disposal a French AAN-F1 machine gun of 7,62 caliber.
And this is interesting, because according to all published data about the Elsace frigate, the ship should carry one NFH 90 Caiman, and then, please, AS565 Panther appeared from somewhere.
Here it is, the missing NFH 90 Caiman
Further, Future Zone asks: “Why was the AS565 Panther used in this case, and not anti-aircraft missiles or the 76-mm Alsace gun?”
Assuming that:
“maybe the helicopter was intended specifically to escort and protect a merchant ship, while the frigate guarded other transports. Or maybe the Houthi drone was discovered too late and, except for a helicopter, they could no longer stop the UAV without the risk of destruction and the “civilians.”
Then the question immediately arises: “And if it were not a drone, but a rocket, then how would it all end?”
As I wrote earlier in the article “How a German went to fight across the seven seas of the Houthis,” the Germans had exactly the same situation with the frigate Hessen.
Or maybe the answer to this question is given in an article by the Dane Thomas Lauge Nielsen, published on April 4, 2024 on the German online portal hartpunkt:
“On March 13, frigate captain Sune Lund, commander of the ship Iver Huitfeldt, sent a secret message to the naval command in Denmark, in which he pointed out a number of serious problems and deficiencies in the ship's sensors and weapons systems that manifested themselves during the operation .
These problems included a software glitch in the fire control system when using anti-aircraft missiles, with the system being out of action for approximately 30 minutes, and this was during a drone attack. And also the very high failure rate of the 76mm ammunition, with 50 percent of the rounds reportedly exploding immediately after being fired (presumably immediately after the proximity fuse was engaged).
It was later reported that the 76mm ammunition used by Iver Huitfeldt was 30 years old. It is also important to note that the potential for these problems to occur had been known for some time (prior to Operation Aspides).”
These problems included a software glitch in the fire control system when using anti-aircraft missiles, with the system being out of action for approximately 30 minutes, and this was during a drone attack. And also the very high failure rate of the 76mm ammunition, with 50 percent of the rounds reportedly exploding immediately after being fired (presumably immediately after the proximity fuse was engaged).
It was later reported that the 76mm ammunition used by Iver Huitfeldt was 30 years old. It is also important to note that the potential for these problems to occur had been known for some time (prior to Operation Aspides).”
Frigate Iver Huitfeldt
And here’s what the Germans officially said after they fired two SM-24 Block IIIA missiles at an American drone on February 2, mistaking it for a Houthi:
“The fired missiles were unable to hit the target and, as a result, the UAV, information about which was subsequently transmitted to allied partners, was not hit. This is due to a technical error in the radar system on board the frigate Hessen.”
Next:
“On February 26, Hessen was able to repel an attack from two drones approaching directly from the coast of Yemen: the ship first detected the unmanned aerial vehicle on its radar and likely attempted to destroy it with a Sea Sparrow Missile ESSM at a distance of up to 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) - with the same negative result as the day before - and then shot down a drone with a 76-mm airborne cannon.”
Both the Dane and the German have the same radar systems: Radar SMART-L and APAR, and the guidance and fire control systems, as I understand it, are similar. And both have a so-called “technical error”.
But this is not the topic of the article.
And on the topic, on March 21, the ARD television channel in the Tagesschau program reported another victory of the German frigate:
“According to the Bundeswehr, the frigate Hessen prevented an attack by a surface drone on a group of civilian vessels led by a tug. The drone was destroyed by a helicopter."
The Germans are equipping the M3M MK3 machine gun (12,7 mm) before the departure of the Sea Lynx Mk88A helicopter
In any case, the scenario of intercepting drones using a helicopter has been tested more than once by the navies of NATO countries. The US Navy deliberately trains helicopter crews for this purpose, as, for example, in the Black Dart 2015 exercise.
The Future Zone publication publishes a video filmed during these exercises.
The MH-60S Seahawk helicopter overtakes the target and, matching its speed, takes a position parallel to the drone’s flight path.
Next, the MH-60S door gunner opens fire and shoots down the target drone.
The Americans do not shy away from using a helicopter’s onboard cannon. The video shows the MH-60S hovering and firing at a drone from a Mk 44 Mod 0 Bushmaster. The falling spent cartridges are clearly visible. However, the result was not captured on video.
Helicopter armament: M60 machine gun (7,62 mm) or M240 (7,62 mm) or GAU-16/A (50 caliber) or GAU-17/A minigun (7,62 mm). Sometimes Mk 44 Mod 0 Bushmaster (30 mm) gun. As they say, don’t deny yourself anything.
Continuing the “helicopter theme,” Future Zone provides interesting information about the cost profitability of using helicopters.
“It makes no difference whether they fly or swim: intercepting drones using helicopters with door shooters is still the cheapest option. Air defense missiles cost hundreds of thousands of euros each, up to several million euros, for example, the SM-6 costs 4 million euros each. A Houthi drone like the Samad-2 is estimated to cost less than €10. Some weapons experts even suggest that it costs less than 000 euros.
Remote-detonated ammunition for the 76mm gun, which many Western frigates are equipped with, typically costs between 1 and 000 euros per round. The 1 mm NATO AAN-F800 machine gun cartridge used by the French "doorgunner" costs the French army less than 7,62 euro apiece. For a .1 BMG machine gun shot, the German Bundeswehr probably pays just under 1 euros.”
Remote-detonated ammunition for the 76mm gun, which many Western frigates are equipped with, typically costs between 1 and 000 euros per round. The 1 mm NATO AAN-F800 machine gun cartridge used by the French "doorgunner" costs the French army less than 7,62 euro apiece. For a .1 BMG machine gun shot, the German Bundeswehr probably pays just under 1 euros.”
It is very difficult, almost impossible, to sum up how many targets, using all available means of destruction, were destroyed by both groups of ships since the beginning of Operation Prosperity Guardian and Aspides. According to the data that I found on the Internet, it can be described with the word “a lot.”
So, for example, news The Tagesschau channel reported on December 17, 2023 that the Americans shot down 14 drones that day, and to this the British chalked up at least one victory.
The magazine Forum-Sicherheitspolitik writes on February 21 of this year:
“Dozens of missiles and drones have been shot down since November, according to the US military.”
Same edition March 7, 2024:
“Last night, HMS Richmond shot down two attack drones with its Sea Ceptor missiles, successfully repelling another illegal attack by the Iran-backed Houthis.”
On March 9, journalist Thomas Wiegold published the following on his Augen geradeaus portal:
“Warships in the Red Sea repelled another large-scale Houthi attack on commercial shipping in the region on Saturday evening. Ships and aircraft from the US, France, Denmark and the UK shot down a total of 28 drones.”
How many of these dozens were shot down by helicopters, except for the cases described above, I cannot say, there is simply no such information, but it would be interesting to know...
That’s all, as it were, regarding the adversary’s use of helicopters against UAVs, but it’s hard to resist asking the question: “Well, what about ours, how are ours?”
It is clear that no one will talk in detail about anything specifically on this topic. It is also clear that detection, tracking, target designation, the use of all kinds of anti-drone and anti-back weapons is a gigantic, immense complex of activities tied into one ball. But there are helicopters, our cool helicopters: Ka-27, Ka-29, Ka-226, Ka-52, Mi-8, Mi-14, Mi-28N, Mi-24, Mi-35.
I deliberately simply listed well-known legendary cars in a row. How many other modifications of these devices are still in use and in reserve?
Yes, I know, I know that “others are no longer there, and those are far away,” I understand that each “living” aircraft today performs its own specific task, I suspect that there are not so many uninvolved pilots.
But let me dream a little.
There are hundreds of private helicopters in the country, as well as aircraft belonging to all kinds of companies, including the oil and gas complex, which today is suffering from attacks by Ukrainian UAVs. On earth, private security companies and similar structures deal with issues of their own security.
And in the sky? Is there only hope for the military?
How many retired helicopter pilots, and purely civilian ones, are there in the country? Can click the cry: “Hey good people, lords of rotary-winged birds, get up, rise up! Russian soldiers are waiting for help, they already have their own affairs “for the tonsils.” But these are purely my imagination...
But in reality, Izvestia dated September 7, 2023:
"As part of the Navy fleet Russia is forming special helicopter squads that will search for and destroy semi-submersible drones. This task will be carried out by the Ka-27, Ka-29 and Mi-8. The first crews have already completed training, their personnel have taken up combat duty in the Black Sea.
Good old Ka-27
The helicopters have already carried out successful operations against Ukrainian naval drones. In particular, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on October 6 that the Ka-29 aviation The Black Sea Fleet discovered and destroyed an unmanned Navy boat, which was heading towards Crimea.
Ka-29
The first battles between helicopters and drones took place last year. On October 29, 16 air and sea drones of the Navy tried to attack warships and civilian vessels in Sevastopol. There is a video of a helicopter delivering a precise strike on a surface combat drone that was heading towards a target in the bay.
Helicopters have already proven their effectiveness in destroying unmanned boats, Captain First Rank Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.
“Using helicopters is the best option,” he noted. “A helicopter is several times faster than a drone - it can always catch up with it.” To hit such a target, you don’t need expensive missiles; machine guns or even machine guns in the hands of good shooters are enough.
The expert noted that the Ka-27 and Ka-29 can board the Project 22160 Vasily Bykov patrol ships, which are now considered the main hunters of maritime drones.”
Helicopters have already proven their effectiveness in destroying unmanned boats, Captain First Rank Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.
“Using helicopters is the best option,” he noted. “A helicopter is several times faster than a drone - it can always catch up with it.” To hit such a target, you don’t need expensive missiles; machine guns or even machine guns in the hands of good shooters are enough.
The expert noted that the Ka-27 and Ka-29 can board the Project 22160 Vasily Bykov patrol ships, which are now considered the main hunters of maritime drones.”
Eight months have passed since the article was published. Unfortunately, we all know what happened during this time...
I wrote a little higher that this topic contains a gigantic, immense complex of events tied into one ball. From the bits of information that sometimes appear in print, one can notice that, although not quickly, this tangle, thank God, is beginning to unwind.
Lenta.ru, September 8, 2023:
“At the end of August, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that on August 29, a Ukrainian drone heading towards the capital was shot down by one of the Russian helicopters.”
47news.ru, February 13, 2024:
“On February 12, near Kingisepp, we trained to intercept drones using a helicopter. The rotorcraft chased the drone for a long time. A large and noisy spot either caught up with a small point, then let go of itself.”
47news.ru, April 01, 2024:
“...The Telegram channel “Voevoda Broadcasts” reported yesterday at 23:22 about the defeat of two drones in the Moscow region using a Mi-28 helicopter. According to the source, the helicopter served as an air defense complex and destroyed targets with a cannon.”
As a conclusion, let me say the following.
In the process of preparing the article, I was once again convinced that the topic of “drone fighter helicopter” is relevant and has long been in demand for a professional solution. Both we and the enemy have felt it, and to a certain extent we are dealing with it.
I would very much like the command of the Army, Navy and Aerospace Forces of Russia to quickly unwind this tangle of tasks, rather than wind them up, and that it would be just like that.
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