Ukraine’s World War I-Style Drone-Hunting Warplane May Be Back In Action

After a four-month absence, Ukraine’s World War I-style drone-blasting propeller plane may be back in action over Odesa.

The piston-engine Yakovlev Yak-52 trainer, a 1970s-vintage Soviet leftover, reportedly returned to the sky over the port city on the Black Sea on Tuesday to chase down Russian surveillance drones.

The 2,900-pound plane—a pilot in the front seat and, presumably, a shotgun-wielding gunner in the back seat—“expended 1,000 liters of fuel and had to land for more mid-fight,” according to “Kale,” a Ukrainian navy sailor in Odesa.

In five hours of maneuvering, the 180-mile-per-hour Yak-52 reportedly shot down at least one Orlan drone. The Orlans fly over Odesa to spot targets for follow-on attacks by long-range missiles. A Yak-52 costing at most a few hundred dollars per flight hour is an efficient way of shooting down drones that themselves cost around $100,000.

There’s no official confirmation of the Yak-52’s return to flight since the plane last appeared over Odesa in July. But then, there’s never been much official information on the Yak-52’s daring patrols over the port city.

In a heady three months starting in May, the piston plane shot down at least a dozen Russian drones. Fans of the barnstormer posted videos and photos of the Yak-52 in action and on the ground. A growing number of kill markings on the side of the old trainer spoke to its effectiveness as a drone-hunter.

It worked so well that the Ukrainian intelligence directorate began training gunners to hunt Russian unmanned aerial vehicles from locally-made Aeroprakt A-22 sport planes.

Admittedly, it’s strange that the Yak-52 reportedly burned 1,000 liters of fuel during its purported long sortie over Odesa on Tuesday. The most capacious version of the Yakovlev trainer has a maximum fuel capacity of 280 liters.

If the Ukrainian aviators really did burn around three full loads of fuel, returning to base at least twice to top off, they must’ve been flying hard—climbing, diving and turning—to draw a bead on the Orlans.

Fresh photos and videos may provide further insight into this possible new round of Yak-52 sorties. But then, there’s reason to believe the Odesa crew and its boosters might refrain from enthusiastically posting. After the Yak-52 become internationally famous this summer, Russian forces apparently attempted to destroy the plane by lobbing missiles at what may have been its home airfield back in July.

The subsequent disappearance of the Yak-52 from social media seemingly implied the plane had been badly damaged. Maybe it was damaged and underwent repairs through the fall. Maybe it escaped damage—and its crew decided to lie low for a while. Maybe it was never at that airfield the Russians bombarded.

In any event, it’s drone-hunting season again, if Kale’s information is accurate.