Drones have rendered helicopters near-unusable on the front lines in Ukraine.
Rotary-wing aviation has been used for ground support and resupply since World War II, and helicopters were a mainstay of Russia’s air attacks in the war’s early days.
But high-speed remotely piloted drones can outrun even modern attack helicopters, two defense journalists wrote in Counteroffensive Pro, and Kyiv’s elite drone unit has recorded several direct hits on Russian aircraft in mid-flight.
Ukraine’s forces lacked many helicopters even before the 2022 invasion, so have been less affected by the rise of drones, but Russia has been forced to keep its choppers away from the front line. Both sides are increasingly using helicopters to shoot down slow-moving long-range drones behind their lines.