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Armies increasingly use helicopters and machine guns to shoot down Shahed drones
Combat and transport helicopters are becoming one of the cheapest means of countering Shahed-type attack drones. Ukraine, Israel and the UAE use them.
Helicopters are increasingly being used to intercept Shahed-type attack drones, which Russia uses in its war against Ukraine under the name Geran, while Iran uses them in the Middle East. Instead of costly surface-to-air missiles, crews shoot down the drones with machine guns and cannons.
Ukraine says that, depending on weather conditions, helicopters can shoot down up to 40% of the Shaheds in their areas of responsibility. Since August 2024, Ukrainian army aviation has destroyed more than 3,200 such drones. Crews often operate in pairs: one helicopter carries the weapons, while the other is equipped with sensors and guides the weapons toward the target.
In the Middle East, the UAE’s Apache attack helicopters intercept Iranian Shahed-136 drones using 30mm cannons and APKWS guided rockets, while Israeli AH-64s are also involved in air defense. The Apache’s 30mm cannon fires up to 625 rounds per minute, allowing drones to be engaged at a much lower cost than with missiles.
Military experts note that mass-launched, low-cost drones are forcing armies to seek equally affordable defensive measures, and helicopters equipped with machine guns have become one such solution.
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