Strana 18
The last two incidents underline just how
dangerous the work of hunting Russian drones
is. One of the pilots of the Ukrainian Civil Air
Patrol with the callsign “Stalker” revealed
that over seven months his aircraft had been
damaged as many as 43 times. Each time,
however, it was repaired and returned to
action. It is certainly not the kind of activity
insurance companies would be happy about.
Ukraine, however, must search for and test
every possible way to combat the threat of
kamikaze drones. Russia is also constantly
improving its Shaheds. Lately, they fly higher,
carry larger explosive payloads, and above all,
attack in ever greater numbers each month.
One option is to give light aircraft the ability
to strike Shaheds from a greater distance. This
is how the agricultural aircraft of Czech (or
Czechoslovak) origin, the Z-137T, has appeared
in Ukrainian skies. It is a successor to the
famous family that began with the Z-37 Čmeliak
(Bumblebee). The aircraft was captured on
a short video. It sports green-gray camouflage
and two white stripes on the rear fuselage,
which are the Army Aviation markings. Under
the center section, there are two additional
fuel tanks, and two R-73 missiles under the
wings. At the location of the missile pylons,
two dark bands are visible encircling the wing,
apparently reinforcements of the skin.
The R-73 missiles use infrared guidance
with a range of 30 to 40 kilometers depending
on the version. On the Z-137T they are mounted
on AKU-73 pylons. The aircraft itself has no
radar or other equipment for targeting drones.
The pilot must therefore be guided into the
proper area by a ground control station.
From there the missile takes over, being fully
autonomous and able to find the target on its
own. For this, however, it requires electrical
power. It is therefore likely that the Z-137T has
been fitted with an additional generator for
this purpose.
Voices were raised questioning the
authenticity of the video on the grounds that
the Z-137T lacks standard camouflage and
the blue-yellow identification markings
used at the front. It can only be said that
none of the known photos of Yak-52 aircraft
show a standard camouflage pattern either.
They usually retain their original civilian paint,
and some have even sported attempts at the
wild camouflage schemes. The blue-yellow
identification elements required in the combat
zone are carried sparingly on Yaks as well,
usually on the rudder only. These light aircraft
do not operate near the frontline, but rather
fight Russian drones in the interior.
The use of R-73 missiles has also been
questioned, as they are allegedly too expensive
to be wasted on Shaheds. Yet as shown in
the previous examples, firing from close
range at a drone carrying tens of kilograms
of explosives can lead to the loss of the
aircraft, and sometimes, tragically, of its crew.
This applies not only to the Yak-52. Ukraine,
lacking sufficient ammunition for ground-
based air defense, has been forced to employ
jet fighters against drones, and in the past
has lost several MiG-29s and Su-27s this way.
Even two of the four F-16s lost were destroyed
by debris from downed drones.
For this reason, the use of R-73s fired
from a greater distance is logical from
a safety standpoint. Moreover, R-73s are not
financially costly for Ukraine. These are older
Soviet-made missiles of which it still has
a considerable stockpiles. Over the past three
years there has been no situation in which
Russian and Ukrainian aircraft approached
closely enough for the R-73 to be used in air-
to-air combat. The lifespan of these missiles
is not endless, so it is better to “spend” them
on fighting drones. This is not wasteful:
a Shahed can hit a valuable target, and it is far
preferable to use such a missile than to allow
the destruction of a power plant or industrial
facility.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have long
employed R-73 missiles from various adapted
ground launchers. The Z-137T is something
similar, only much more mobile. It can also take
off from unimproved grassy fields, making it
more flexible and harder to destroy on the
ground. Its use can also ease the burden in
drone defense on jet fighters, whose operation
is far more expensive.
Turbo Bumblebee with anti-drone rockets
Z-137T with a pair of R-73 missiles.
Notice the dark band on the wing – this
is probably a reinforcement of the skin.
UKRAINE
INFO Eduard18
September 2025