Ukraine has released detailed footage for the first time showing Army Aviation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces intercepting Russian Shahed-type loitering munitions during nighttime operations.
The video highlights a coordinated air defense tactic in which helicopter formations intercept enemy drones during recent large-scale night attacks.
In the operations shown, a pair of helicopters takes off to engage incoming threats. One aircraft carries weapons and hunts the hostile drone directly, while the other is equipped with advanced sensors — specifically the Teledyne FLIR multi-sensor system — to detect, track, and guide the strike aircraft onto the target. This coordination enables the safe neutralization of drones carrying a 90-kilogram warhead capable of destroying an entire apartment building if it were to hit or fall on a populated area.
The tactic addresses Ukraine’s shortage of ground-based air defense assets. Intercepting drones with helicopters helps preserve costly surface-to-air missiles, which can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars per shot and remain in critically short supply.
Originally designed for security, reconnaissance, patrol, and search-and-rescue missions, the UltraFORCE 350 has taken on a new and urgent role in Ukraine’s defense. The system’s advanced thermal imaging and targeting capabilities allow crews to locate and track unmanned threats under varied and challenging conditions, day or night.
“Teledyne FLIR Defense solutions are proving to be ideally suited for airborne counter-drone applications, as seen recently in Ukraine,” a company spokesperson told Defence Blog. “The precision of our airborne thermal imaging systems means they are versatile enough to support a wide range of missions to detect, track and identify targets under all kinds of conditions.”
Ukraine’s approach reflects the adaptation of existing technology to meet pressing battlefield needs. By integrating airborne counter-drone tactics into Army Aviation operations, Ukrainian forces are expanding their defensive coverage against Shaheds — Iranian-designed drones Russia uses for deep-strike attacks on cities and infrastructure.
With drone strikes now a regular feature of the war, Ukraine’s ability to improvise and employ multipurpose equipment like the UltraFORCE 350 could play a key role in sustaining its defenses over time.
The newly released footage underscores both the risks and the ingenuity involved in protecting Ukrainian cities from Shahed drone attacks. It also signals that Ukraine’s military is willing to explore unconventional air defense measures when conventional systems are scarce — a strategy that may influence future counter-drone doctrine in modern conflict.