The Russian air force has followed Ukraine’s lead in digging deep into its inventory and bringing Yak-52s into active duty. As with Ukraine, the 40-year-old piston trainers will be used to try to shoot down drones but with some refinements. A small radar, sensor pod and computer have been strapped to the underside of the left wing to give targeting information to the semiautomatic 12-gauge shotgun that will down the drones. The plane has a new panel with an EFIS, also. The Russians have even given the modified planes their own designation as the Yak-52B2.
The old Yaks were the airframe of choice after some experimentation by the Russians. They also tried the sensor package and shotgun on a Cessna 172 and a Yak-18 light transport plane. They settled on the Yak-52 because they have lots of them and have been flying them for decades. The weapons package is designed to target long-range kamikaze drones up to and including those based on the Aeroprakt A-22, a Ukrainian LSA that is sold in the U.S. It’s not the first time the Yak-52 has been used to deliver weapons. The Russians built a small number of counterinsurgency aircraft during the Afghan war and it carried machine guns and unguided rockets.
