BLUF: Helicopters were a fixture of Russian attacks early on in the war, but drones and advances in air defense now force them to stay away from the frontline. Ukrainians, at the same time, are developing interceptor drones that might start hunting for choppers.
In other news, new proposed simplified export controls would allow members of Defence City to obtain permission to export defense technologies in just 15 days.
Russians have started using Shahed drones for remote mining operations. The NUMO 2.0 ground drone is here, and it’s got improvements for harsh terrain. And Offset Labs is testing a system for the transcription of intercepted Russian radio communications for the military.
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THE BIG STORY: How drones have affected helicopter operations
The Ukrainian military started out with fewer helicopters than Russia’s army, but they’ve played a central role in many critical missions.
That’s because they are the most maneuverable branch of the military, Lieutenant Colonel Roman Bilobriukhov, Deputy Commander of one of the Army Aviation Brigades of the Ground Forces.
They were crucial to supplying Ukraine’s encircled defenders in Mariupol with life-saving equipment and medical supplies in 2022.
In daring raids amid heavy Russian bombardment, Mi-8 choppers flew low over the besieged city to provide Ukrainian defenders with ammunition, food, reinforcements, and even Starlink terminals.
Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters. Photo by the Army Aviation of Land Forces
But tactics have drastically changed, largely due to losses of aircraft and the massive number of drones on the battlefield. While Ukrainian helicopters initially conducted strikes on oil refineries, deep strikes by drones are now taking over.
At the start of the war, Ukraine’s aviation fleet consisted mostly of Soviet helicopters, some of which were modernized. This aircraft was inferior to that of Russia’s military, which had more modern models, particularly Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters. These became a mainstay of Russian strikes in the early days of the war and were very actively used during Ukraine's 2023 counteroffensive.
Drones gave Ukrainian troops a way to chip away at Russia’s much larger fleet of aircraft. The elite ‘A’ Special Operations Center of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) made history last year by using FPV drones to destroy Russian choppers mid-flight.
Last August marked the first recorded strike on a Russian Mi-28 in the Kursk region using an FPV drone.
Another case involved a Ka-52 helicopter hit by Balista, an elite unit of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces. In mid-May, the unit announced that it had used an FPV drone to strike a Russian chopper on patrol.
The proliferation of drones on the battlefield has changed how helicopters can be used.
Miltech executive Nils Alstad told Counteroffensive.Pro that members of the U.S. Special Operations Command with whom he’d discussed the prevalence of drones in Ukraine “did not like the thought of fast roping down in Bin Laden's compound if he had a few drones."
With the continuing development of interceptor drones, helicopters would be a viable target, Bilobriukhov said.
Interceptors are capable of flying at a speed of 300-350 km/h, while the Mi-8 helicopter’s cruising speed is 225 km/h. The amount of damage a drone can inflict on a helicopter hinges on a few different factors.
"Everything depends on the size of the drone's warhead, the type of ammunition, and where you hit the helicopter. We can say that FPV has frozen the usage of many types of vehicles, including helicopters," Rudolf Akopian, a spokesperson for General Cherry, a Ukrainian drone maker, told Counteroffensive.Pro.
He doesn’t think the presence of FPV drones has reduced Ukraine’s use of helicopters on the battlefield, since the country didn't have many aircraft even before the full-scale war. But Russians are staying away from using helicopters close to the frontline, because it’s a large and vulnerable target.
Мі-24 helicopter. Photo by Army Aviation of Land Forces.
Ukraine’s evolving helicopter tactics:
Among the helicopters' primary tasks are:
Infantry support through strikes on enemy positions or equipment;
Logistics operations for delivering/evacuating people or cargo;
Raid operations, such as military intelligence operations in Russia’s Kursk or Belgorod regions;
Supporting assault operations of the Land Forces.
Ukraine has started using helicopters to engage Shaheds or other drones as a part of air defense, for instance. For background, read our article about how the use of Shaheds has changed throughout the war.
Ukrainian helicopters were first used to shoot down Russian drones in early 2024. Now, they operate across all of Ukraine in coordination with other units.
Their main weapon is onboard machine guns of 7.62mm or 12.7mm caliber. Ukrainian helicopters don't have guided missiles to engage Shaheds.
“Unlike mobile fire groups, helicopters can follow their target and have a better understanding of where it is safer to shoot down a Shahed,” emphasized Bilobriukhov.
The military also uses choppers to provide infantry support by launching unguided rockets using the ‘pop-up’ technique, when the pilot briefly and rapidly ‘pops up’ and launches ordnance to engage an enemy target for a small amount of time. Crews must be experienced to hit targets using this method, however.
Marks of downed drones on board the helicopter. Photo taken from Serhii Flash Telegram channel
Currently, the main challenge, just like at the beginning of the full-scale war, is evading air defenses, from MANPADS to larger anti-aircraft systems. This is why helicopters fly low to remain undetected by air defense radars.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) also uses helicopters, artillery, drones, and infantry for rapid raid operations behind enemy lines. In the Sumy region, Ukrainian fighters eliminated over 890 Russians in an operation utilizing helicopters at the beginning of August this year. HUR involved 11 units from ‘Timur’s Special Forces Unit.’
Before the full-scale war, Ukraine had about 100 aircraft of Mi-2, Mi-8, and Mi-24 types, some of which were already unfit for flight. Fifty two helicopters were then lost during the war, according to data from Oryx, which tracks losses based on photo and video confirmation.
How Russians are adapting
Having a larger aviation fleet, the Russian army was especially bold in the first months of the war. Dozens of helicopters flew to Hostomel for a landing operation there at the war’s onset, illustrating Moscow’s willingness to deploy vast numbers of attack aircraft. (Read our year-long investigation into the Battle of Antonov Airfield here).
LMUR air-to-surface missile. Photo taken from Russian media
Ukrainian air defense has forced them to behave more cautiously since that time.
All in all, Russia has lost 159 helicopters, including 64 Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters, eliminating about 40 percent in their pre-war fleet.
During Ukraine's 2023 offensive, Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters caused many problems for Ukrainian forces, integrating LMUR air-to-surface missiles with a greater range and allowing them to launch with less vulnerability to air defense.
Helicopters are also now based further away in light of Ukraine’s increased long-range capabilities.
In addition, Russians use Mi-8, Mi-28, and Ka-52 choppers to counter Ukrainian deep strike and naval drones. The first examples of such operations were back in August 2023.
For three years, helicopters constantly adapted to new challenges. Russians have developed their air defense systems, like the S-400.
Ukrainians are flying at extremely low altitudes. Massive usage of Shaheds leads to the usage of choppers as a part of air defense.
In the future, one of the hypothetical ways of how helicopters might evolve is to become drone carriers, said Bilobriukhov.
It’s unlikely that army aviation will be useless in warfare – but its use will be much more contested than much of the West is used to.
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BUSINESS LUNCH TOPICS: What our reporting shows!
What simplified export control means for Defence City residents
As Ukrainian authorities begin working out the final details of a new special regime to be established for defense enterprises, one of the most highly anticipated perks of this initiative is expedited approval of export permits for the defense industry.
Extensive discussion is still underway about how this will work in practice, Oleg Tsylvik, interim head of the State Service for Export Control (SSEC), told Counteroffensive.Pro.
The SSEC has submitted its proposals for draft law №13420 (approved by lawmakers in first reading), Tsylvik said, including:
Establishing a simplified export procedure for those in the Defence City registry;
Changes to Resolution 838 stipulating that Defence City residents will have a special permit to carry out exports or imports under simplified procedures.
The draft law stipulates that the SSEC will have 15 working days to issue permits for the export of defense products or components, but this doesn't have any bearing on procedures that still have to be done with other government bodies, Tsylvik said.
Consequently, several things may take more than 15 days, including:
Approval from the Defense Ministry, confirming that they don't need the planned export product. This process can be unpredictable, Tsylvik noted, adding that sometimes documents can get lost and go unanswered for months;
Review by the Intergovernmental Commission for Export Control under the Security Council of Ukraine;
Verification of guarantee documents to ensure nothing falls into the hands of Ukraine's enemies.
There are also several issues that have yet to be resolved, including:
How to guarantee the security of enterprises abroad, particularly when it comes to threats like sabotage;
How to protect intellectual property;
How to manage production costs abroad that will be higher than in Ukraine due to local tax regulations and wages;
How to handle technology transfer, which can either be included in agreements with other countries, agreed upon at the intergovernmental level, or regulated separately.
No date has been set yet for the draft law’s consideration in parliament. MPs and other responsible bodies are conducting discussions, Tsylvik said.
Russian Innovation Tracker: Shaheds with anti-tank mines
Russian forces have started using Shaheds as carriers for PTM-3 anti-tank mines, according to Russian military Telegram channels.
It’s not clear how widespread the practice is, but it would give Russians a relatively easy way to mine Ukraine’s logistics routes. The explosive charge weighs 1.8 kg, with a total weight of 4.9 kg.
Anti-tank mines can be difficult to spot on roads. The mines are about 9 cm in length and height, Andrii, Chief Technology Officer at Stratforce Solution, an autonomous drone developer, told Counteroffensive.Pro.
Kamikaze drones with PTM-3 mines. Screenshots taken from a Russian Telegram Channel.
Technically, dropping the mines is simple because the Shahed flies along a pre-planned route, meaning the operator can set a waypoint where the drone will receive a command to drop the mine.
"These are good mines. No matter which way they land, they'll arm themselves and detonate from any angle. The Shahed has enough power reserve that a few extra kilograms won't matter," Andrii explained.
Key improvements in the NUMO 2.0 ground drone
Ukrainian manufacturer Tank Bureau has updated its NUMO 2.0 ground drone, which is an upgraded version of NUMO (formerly known as TerMIT).
The updates are meant to improve the drone's mobility and replace the engines, Nazar Pryimak, director of Tank Bureau, told Counteroffensive.Pro.
On the left is NUMO 1.0; on the right is NUMO 2.0. Photo provided by Tank Bureau
With the updates, the unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) now has a maximum speed of up to 16 km/h (previously 9 km/h). The software has also been updated and will automatically switch communication types between the operator and the drone, if the enemy’s EW interrupts the signal. In total, the manufacturer offers five types of communication links, including Starlink.
Developers have also changed the tracks and expanded the distance between the tracks and panels, providing better mobility in harsh conditions. This upgrade also raised the center of gravity, however, making the UGV more vulnerable to tipping over.
4. A new way to intercept and decrypt Russian communications
The Ukrainian company Offset Labs has developed a program to intercept Russian radio communications and automatically transcribe them into text. The software is based on intelligence models that are trained to recognize speech in noise-heavy audio recordings, Anna Maharina, senior engineer at Offset Labs, told Counteroffensive.Pro.
Offset Labs interface screenshot. Photo provided by the startup
The program can be integrated into any existing computer-based intelligence system and will generate the transcription. In addition, the system can create a database of voice samples that can be used to identify when the same voice features in different audio samples, said Anastasiia Stozhok, a senior engineer at Offset Labs.
This will allow Ukrainian military units to track when enemy forces rotate, as well as to compare different voices. Currently, the company is conducting pilot tests and gathering feedback.
Ukrainian orders/legislation we’re tracking:
By: Oksana Zabolotna
Establishing a grant program to scale up production of explosives
Cabinet of Ministers Resolution № 909, July 23, 2025
Why it’s important:
The resolution supports innovation and boosts domestic production for defense needs, with a particular focus on explosives and ammunition.
Proposals:
Grants of up to $21.4 million will be made available to foster the development of innovative technologies for the production of goods intended for defense needs;.
Funding covers both production tools and finished defense products;
Eligible recipients must be Ukrainian developers not linked to Russia, Belarus, or countries blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force, the global anti-money laundering watchdog. They similarly must not be under sanctions, in debt, bankrupt, or involved in terrorism or corruption;
Grants cannot duplicate previous state support for the same purpose;
Competitions are initiated by defense and security bodies: the Defense Ministry, the Armed Forces, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Defense Intelligence, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Guard, etc;
The Innovation Support Fund runs the competition;
A supervisory commission tests the final product.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation is responsible for the use of funds and the entire resolution.
Stage: Entered into force on July 23, 2025
Initiator: Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
What’s next:Implementation of the resolution.
ON THE MOVE: Professional movement, promotions and industry news.
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Roman Steblivskyi has resigned from StateWatch, a group tracking the circumvention of sanctions against Russia, and Trap Aggressor, an investigative media outlet. He told Counteroffensive.Pro, he will work as a policy expert at the Economic Security Council of Ukraine, which monitors the implementation of anti-Russian sanctions.
Anton Tabur has joined the Ukrainian Defence Council as a UxS program manager. Previously, he worked at DataDriven as a lead consultant on defense and demining.
Anna Bondar completed her trial period and began working as communications manager at Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense.
30 SECOND ELEVATOR PITCH:
Besomar manufactures drones that can patrol and eliminate enemy targets both in the air and on the ground. Their range includes reconnaissance drones, interceptors, kamikaze drones, and high-speed aircraft that can combat Shaheds or other fast-moving targets.
“We are looking for distribution opportunities. We are interested in investors who can provide us with sales channels for our products. This will require scaling up and a partnership to ensure product sales and scaling,” said Roman Shemechko, co-owner and founder of Besomar.
For example, a government contract worth $2 million could fund the production scale-up necessary to deploy 1,000 units. An investor who can secure this sum or support such procurement volumes would be key to the company's next stage of growth.
MUST READS:
Ukrainian companies DevDroid and Rovertech have made the Zmiy Droid 12.7, a new ground drone with a turret. Its primary purpose is reconnaissance, fire support, and destruction of enemy targets. It is capable of operating effectively in combat conditions, including navigating complicated terrain.
Ukraine has received a Vector AI drone with an acoustic artillery detection system from German drone manufacturer Quantum Systems. In addition to reconnaissance, the new drone can detect enemy artillery fire, with artificial intelligence used to identify it.
Ukrainian company Dwarf Engineering has tested Narsil, a new autonomous guidance module integrated into a 10-inch FPV drone.
Frontline, a Ukrainian startup, has integrated its turret Buria in TheMIS, an Estonian ground drone by Milrem Robotics.
Ukrainian engineers have created an analog of the Russian Molniya kamikaze drone called Blyskavka (Lightning). It’s capable of flying up to 40 km, climbing to an altitude of 2,000 m, and carrying up to 8 kg of payload.
The Ukrainian drone interception unit Posipaky shot down two new Russian Delta drones, which are similar to the Shahed-136, but smaller. These Delta drones can be used as reconnaissance tools and decoys to both detect the positions of Ukrainian air defense and overpower it. Such drones can also carry a warhead weighing up to 15 kilograms.
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Calibrating communications to strengthen resilience
