In addition to NASAMS and Aspide air defense systems, which will protect our cities from cruise missiles, the Armed Forces of Ukraine is developing simpler means of combating “flying mopeds” Shahed-136. For this purpose, they are even reviving the technologies of the Second World War.

The National Guard of Ukraine showed photos of National Guard of Ukraine mobile groups armed with home-made anti-aircraft machine guns collected from two PKT machine guns. Almost the same anti-aircraft machine guns were widely used during the Second World War, when the speed of aircraft was not high. Well, modern kamikaze drones are also not very fast and at the final stage of flight are at a height that can be reached for such a weapon.

Anti-aircraft banderomobiles with PKT machine guns against Shahed-136 kamikaze drones

Paired PKTs are installed on a pickup truck, so this is a kind of variant of a modern improvised fighting vehicles, or, if you prefer, an anti-aircraft banderomobile.

The National Guard reports that one of the new/old weapons units has already destroyed three Shahed-136 UAVs.

“Three enemy drones were destroyed by the forces and means of air defense of the Air Command “South” of the Air Force in Mykolaiv Oblast, and three more Shahed-136 were shot down by other units of the Defense Forces. One of them is a fire group of the Mykolaiv Guardsmen, who are on duty every day to protect their native land,” the report says.

PKT is a Kalashnikov tank machine gun, created on the basis of a 7.62-mm Kalashnikov machine gun with a heavier barrel and equipped with an electric trigger. Entered service in 1962. It is installed in the turrets of tanks and other armored combat vehicles (BMP, BMD, APC −60PB/70/80/90, MT-LB, BMPT, BRDM, BRM). That is, there is a lot of this good in the Armed Forces, it is possible to establish mass serial production of anti-aircraft armored vehicles. In total, since 1961, more than 1,000,000 Kalashnikov machine guns have been manufactured, a significant part of which was PKT.

The ingenuity and tenacity of Ukrainians continues to amaze. Thank you, National Guard of Ukraine! We hope that your experience will be adopted by other units of the Armed Forces.

Anti-aircraft banderomobiles with PKT machine guns against Shahed-136 kamikaze drones

Specifications of the PKT machine gun
Weight – 10.5 kg
Barrel weight – 3.23 kg
Length – 1,098 mm
Barrel length – 722 mm
Caliber – 7.62 mm
Cartridge – 7.62×54 mm R
Muzzle velocity – 855 m/s
Rate of fire – 800 rounds per minute
Practical rate of fire – 250 rounds per minute
Maximum fire range – 3800 m
Effective fire range – 1,500 m
Action – rotating bolt, discharge of powder gases
Feed system – a tape of 250 cartridges
Sight – mechanical sector or optical