Ukraine could effectively combat Russian kamikaze drones without deploying expensive Western fighters by modernizing its existing fleet of trainer aircraft or creating its own low-cost attack plane. However, the state has ignored these opportunities for years, preferring discussions about purchasing high-priced equipment.
Anatolii Vovnyanko, a renowned aviation designer and one of the creators of the An-225 Mriya, stated this during a broadcast with political scientist and Hvylya editor-in-chief Yuriy Romanenko.
According to the expert, using cutting-edge fighters to hunt primitive drones is economically unjustifiable.
"To destroy Shaheds, you don't need incredibly expensive, high-tech aircraft like the F-16. You can get by with a cheaper aircraft... like the L-39, which Ukraine has in abundance and which could have been upgraded long ago," Vovnyanko noted.
He explained that these machines possess sufficient maneuverability for such tasks: "Equip them with a heavy machine gun or a cannon and shoot them down. But, of course, no one seems to care about that."
Vovnyanko also proposed creating a domestic light attack aircraft, similar to the Brazilian Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano, using components already available in Ukraine.
"Take an engine from the An-24, build an airframe around it... mount heavy machine guns, and create our own cheap analogue of the Tucano. I believe our designers could do it," the aircraft builder emphasized.
Yuriy Romanenko supported this idea, calling such a solution "elementary."
"This is mid-last century technology... But we could easily create it—there is nothing complicated about it," Vovnyanko added, lamenting the indifference of officials who are more interested in "buying something expensive."
The speakers highlighted a global trend where trainer aircraft are being transformed into full-fledged combat units, citing South Korean aircraft recently purchased by Poland as an example.
"If anyone thinks, 'Oh, they are just trainers...', these planes can carry 1.5 tons of bombs or missiles, or even more... This is actually serious aviation," the discussion concluded.
