A recently circulated video on social media shows how, from a Ukrainian helicopter, a gunner operating an M134 Minigun machine gun shoots down a Russian Geran-family attack drone. The footage emerges at a time when Russia is launching hundreds of drones daily —a number that continues to grow— while Ukrainian defenders resort to every available resource to counter this threat.
The video, filmed from a first-person perspective, shows the gunner aboard a Ukrainian helicopter shooting down a Russian Shahed/Geran drone after firing two bursts totaling about eight seconds with his Minigun. With a firing rate of roughly 3,000 rounds per minute, it is estimated that about 400 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition were needed to achieve this kill. However, any analysis becomes meaningless when considering that those rounds prevented deaths or injuries among civilians.
Details about the footage remain scarce, and it is unclear whether the shootdown occurred recently or if the video has only now surfaced. It is also not possible to determine from which helicopter the Russian drone was downed. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been employing their helicopter fleet as part of the defensive umbrella against the unmanned aerial vehicles launched daily by Moscow, particularly using their Mi-8/Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters.
It is worth recalling that the use of M134 Minigun machine guns on Russian-made transport helicopters is not unusual. The Czech Republic, Mexico, Peru, and the United States are among the countries that have used or continue to use this configuration. In the U.S. case, this refers specifically to Mi-8/Mi-17 aircraft employed in support of various intelligence agencies.
Another possible Ukrainian operator of the Minigun could be the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, which are in service with the Defense Intelligence Directorate. This branch possesses only a handful of such aircraft, which were recently used to insert special operations troops into the besieged city of Pokrovsk.
As mentioned, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are employing various solutions to counter Russian drones —ranging from the development of FPV interceptors to the use of ultralight aircraft and trainers as drone hunters. The low cost of each unmanned aerial vehicle has forced Kyiv to adopt creative measures, as the high cost of systems such as NASAMS or IRIS-T SLM makes their use against drones unsustainable due to the difficulty of replenishing missiles.
Just as the Serbs did during the Kosovo conflict against NATO drones, it is now the turn of Ukraine’s helicopter crews to hunt drones —whether with M240 or similar machine guns, or with the formidable M134 Minigun. As long as the shootdowns continue, the system used matters little.
Illustrative collage cover. Credits: USMC – Cpl. Cody Rowe.
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