Daring drone duel: Russian soldier vs. Ukrainian biplane bomber
A recording appeared online showing a failed Russian attempt to shoot down a Ukrainian E-300 Enterprise drone near Bryansk. We explain what these drones are.
In the video below, you can see a Russian soldier, likely using a machine gun equipped with a thermal sight, attempting to shoot down a Ukrainian drone near Bryansk. Notably, at certain moments, the Russian soldier lost the target and fired behind the drone.
The Ukrainian E-300 Enterprise drone is based on old biplanes such as the An-2 or Po-2. It carries an aerial bomb from the FAB family. This configuration provides significant striking power using a readily available platform.
Old biplanes as unmanned bombers
The idea of converting old biplanes, such as the An-2 or Po-2, often referred to as 'crop dusters,' that were decaying in yards or kept in museums into drones is a testament to the immense creativity of the Ukrainians.
Such aircraft can be adapted for unmanned flight with some effort by adding appropriate sensors, satellite and inertial navigation systems, and actuators to move the control surfaces. As a result, you get a drone capable of flying even a few thousand kilometres, as the available payload is allocated to the warhead and additional fuel tanks.
Previously, Ukrainians used these biplanes as kamikaze drones, a one-time solution. Now, models are capable of dropping the FAB-250 bomb they carry at a specific location and returning to base. Some parts of the biplanes always return, which, with a bit of luck, allows one machine to be used for several attacks.
These are very basic drones that pose no challenge for air defence systems like the Pantsir-S1 or even the ZSU-23-4 Shilka, but both the Russians and Ukrainians do not have enough of them to cover all locations requiring defence.
