Ukraine Deploys An-28 Anti-Drone Gunship as Russia Troop Losses Exceed Replacement for Fifth Month
Ukraine is operating a modified An-28 turboprop as an airborne Shahed interceptor, documented in primary video coverage by both French broadcaster TF1 and The War Zone during February 2026 combat sorties. The crew, composed of civilian volunteers, locates targets visually with no specialized detection equipment, guided to drone corridors by ground-based air traffic controllers. Militarnyi reported the crew downed five Shaheds in the TF1-documented mission and has destroyed nearly 150 Russian drones in total. Separately, Ukraine's Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov reported on May 5 that Russia lost 35,203 troops killed or seriously wounded in April, the fifth consecutive month battlefield losses exceeded replacement capacity, with all losses confirmed via video according to the ministry statement. TechRadar, in secondary coverage from May 5, additionally identified VR targeting headsets and onboard interceptor drones as part of the An-28 platform's loadout.
The An-28 conversion illustrates a broader Ukrainian pattern of low-cost improvisation to fill capability gaps that Western air defense systems cannot address at volume: civilian volunteers using visual detection and a Minigun against nightly Shahed raids costing Russia approximately 20,000 dollars per drone. Whether Russia's reported mobilization deficit extends to a sixth consecutive month by end of June 2026 is