Ukraine Reveals Mi-8 Helicopter Equipped With Interceptor Drones for UAV Hunting

KYIV — Ukraine has integrated interceptor drones onto a Mi-8 multi-purpose helicopter to engage Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Footage of the modified helicopter was released during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Independence Day address on August 24.

The footage shows an interceptor drone being launched from a hardpoint beneath the helicopter’s external suspension assembly. The launchers use metal guide rails, with at least three mounted on each side of the Mi-8, giving the helicopter a capacity for up to six interceptor drones. The aircraft also appears to have an optical station for detecting and tracking aerial targets.

Reports have suggested that the interceptors could be controlled from the helicopter or remotely through a Starlink connection, although the exact control arrangement has not been officially confirmed. Some reports have identified the interceptor as the F7 LITAVR produced by Ukrainian company F-Drones, but this identification has also not been officially confirmed.

Similar System Used on An-28

The Mi-8 configuration follows Ukraine’s earlier use of a converted civilian An-28 aircraft as a dedicated Shahed hunter. The aircraft carries at least three interceptor launch points under each wing, allowing up to six drones to be carried, and is equipped with an optical system for locating targets.

By May 2026, the An-28 crew had reported destroying 213 enemy drones. The aircraft has also been associated with P1-SUN interceptor drones, developed by Ukrainian company SkyFall.

Ukrainian Mi-8 crews have previously engaged Shahed-type drones using machine guns, including 7.62 mm PKT weapons and, in some cases, U.S.-supplied M134 miniguns. The addition of interceptor drones gives the helicopter another method of engaging UAVs.

The specific Ukrainian unit operating the modified Mi-8 and the exact date when the system entered service have not been publicly confirmed.

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