Seems to me it wouldn't take much engineering to strap a .50 cal on the underside of that mother and give it some stand-off ability. Even a 7.62 would do. The ghost of Erich Hartmann must be itching for a rematch. When I read about the shotgun it reminded me of a a mission report on the wall of the Douglas Bader pub in Martlesham Heath. "I opened fire at 50 yards and ceased fire 50 feet." So we're back to that I guess. Eric
> On 08/26/2025 5:12 AM EDT srbrown via Mifnet <mifnet@lists.mifnet.com> wrote: > > > I'll ride shotgun for you, Eric, as EU laws make me too old to fly > commercially. > > Unless you can do it with a CPL and Class 2 medical. > > Simon > > -------- Original message -------- > From: ERIC Smith via Mifnet <mifnet@lists.mifnet.com> > Date: 25/08/2025 19:30 (GMT+00:00) > To: "<mifnet@lists.mifnet.com>" <mifnet@lists.mifnet.com> > Cc: ERIC Smith <j...@comcast.net> > Subject: [Mifnet 🛰 73796] Retirement Job > > It isn't unusual for airline pilots to retire then find another flying job > for a time. Many end up at Netjets but few of them last more than a year > there. > > Up until now I haven't been interested but something just caught my eye. > > Eric > > https://www.wsj.com/world/ukraine-russia-drone-hunting-e2fea5fc?mod=hp_trendingnow_article_pos4 > > > > Hunting Russian Drones in a Prop Plane With Shotguns and Rifles > > > Ukrainian defenders use an array of unusual methods to fend off attacks while > preserving stockpiles of more advanced tools > > > This month, a beaten-up, Soviet-era propeller-driven plane taxied to a halt > on a rural runway and two of Ukraine’s top air aces clambered out, one > carrying a rifle. The pair, clad in olive-drab flight suits, are part of a > low-tech solution to the high-tech problem of Russian drones > https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-iran-drone-factory-ukraine-aea9bf5b?mod=article_inline. > > The 56-year-old pilot, who learned to fly as a hobby before the war, and the > gunner, 38, a former auto mechanic who had never been in a plane before the > invasion, are part of a squadron dedicated to knocking down the unmanned > Russian attack and reconnaissance aircraft > https://www.wsj.com/world/ukraine-russia-drone-war-adef7e49?mod=article_inline > that are the bane of ground troops and civilians. > > In the past year, these two unlikely air warriors have flown around 300 > combat missions as part of the 11th Army Aviation Brigade and downed almost > half the unit’s total of 120 drones eliminated, according to its deputy > commander, Col. Mykola Lykhatskiy. > > Ukraine has some of the West’s most advanced air defenses > https://www.wsj.com/business/this-new-missile-defense-system-is-challenging-the-patriot-5068e625?mod=article_inline, > including the Patriot missile system. It also has F-16 jets that it > sometimes uses to down missiles and drones. But it has also developed a > series of lower-cost tactics to counter the threat from the skies, ranging > from nets to signal jamming > https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukraine-russia-drones-fiber-optic-cable-6c96a9f1?mod=article_inline. > > Soldiers and volunteers also man pickup truck-mounted heavy machine guns to > try to take out explosive-laden Shahed drones. Others use vintage Soviet > missiles fired from launchers made out of reused shipping containers. > > Then there are the men and flying machines of the 11th. When a drone appears > on military radar screens, crews scramble to their two-seater Yak-52 > trainers, with a sliding glass canopy reminiscent of World War II fighters. > Usually, they are airborne within 15 minutes. > > Their squadron has brought military aviation back to its very beginnings in > World War I, engaging the enemy at close range with a marksman leaning out of > his cockpit with a gun. > > The Yak-52 is so basic that it has no radar of its own and has to fly in the > daytime, when the crew is guided by radio before visual contact. Their > cockpit gets so cold in the winter they need thick jackets, gloves and > old-school, fur-lined flying helmets. > > Pilots sit near their planes waiting for the command to scramble. Like World > War II pilots, they stencil drones they have shot down onto the side of their > plane, which was later destroyed in a Russian missile attack on their air > base. They now have another Yak. > > Their main targets are Orlan and Zala reconnaissance drones, and Shahed > explosive drones. The propeller-driven Orlan and Zala look like a miniature > plane and kite, respectively, while the distinctive triangular shape of the > Shahed has become one of the most recognizable sights of this war. The > propeller-powered models of these drones fly at speeds of up to 115 miles an > hour, making them easy to chase for the Yak, which can fly at over 180 miles > an hour. > > The successes of these planes and helicopters account for around 10% to 12% > of the drones intercepted by Ukraine on a typical day, said Lykhatskiy. > > > Last month, around 11% of all long-range drones launched by Russia got > through Ukraine’s air defenses, according to data analyzed by the Center for > Information Resilience, a U.K.-based open-source investigations organization. > > The Ukrainian prop planes will typically fly within 200 to 300 feet of the > drone before the gunner opens the canopy, leans out and fires. > > “There is such great new technology now, yet I am still hanging out of the > cockpit shooting at drones with a shotgun,” said the auto mechanic-turned > gunner. He likened the experience to shooting a gun while riding a horse. The > gunner has tried a number of weapons and currently favors a German Haenel > MK55 automatic rifle. > > Sometimes pilots get so close they can use their plane’s wings to tilt the > drone’s wings and send it off course, said Lykhatskiy. British pilots used > that tactic in World War II against Germany’s V-1, widely considered the > world’s first missile. > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Revised: 20250507 > > You are receiving The Mifnet because you requested to join this list. > > The Mifnet is largely a labor of love, however the infrastructure isn't > exactly cost-free. 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-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revised: 20250507 You are receiving The Mifnet because you requested to join this list. The Mifnet is largely a labor of love, however the infrastructure isn't exactly cost-free. If you'd care to make a small contribution to the effort, please know that it would be greatly appreciated: https://wardell.us/url/mifbit All posts sent to the list should abide by these policies: 1) List members acknowledge that participation in Mifnet is a privilege--not a right. 2) Posts are always off the record, absent specific permission from the author. 3) The tone of discussions is collegial. 4) Posts are expected to be in reasonably good taste. 5) We discuss ideas and not personalities, and we don't speak ill of other Mifnet members. * The Mifnet WEB SITE is: https://www.mifnet.com/ * To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list at any time please visit: https://lists.mifnet.com/ OR: SEND THIS MESSAGE via email: mifnet-requ...@lists.mifnet.com?subject=leave * Send Mifnet mailing list POSTS/SUBMISSIONS to: mifnet@lists.mifnet.com * You may reach the person managing The Mifnet at: mifnet-ow...@lists.mifnet.com * Please consider the DIGEST version of The Mifnet, which consolidates all list traffic into 1-3 messages daily. See instructions at: https://lists.mifnet.com/ * Manage your personal Mifnet SUBSCRIPTION at: https://lists.mifnet.com/ * For a list of all available Mifnet commands, SEND THIS MESSAGE via email: mifnet-requ...@lists.mifnet.com?subject=help * View The Mifnet LIST POLICIES and PRIVACY POLICY at: https://mifnet.com/index.php/policies * View instructions for Mifnet DELIVERY PROBLEMS at: https://mifnet.com/index.php/delivery-problems * View The Mifnet LIST ARCHIVE at: https://lists.mifnet.com/hyperkitty/list/mifnet@lists.mifnet.com/
