Another World War I-style dogfighter has returned to active combat over Ukraine, Forbes reports. Recent footage from a Russian surveillance drone shows a distinctively painted Yakovlev Yak-52—a two-seat, piston-engine training aircraft from the 1970s—positioning itself to allow its backseat gunner to target the drone with a rifle.

This marks at least the second Yak-52 to engage in drone hunting operations over Ukrainian airspace.

“The colorful Yak-52 that broke cover on Monday may be that second plane—or another in a growing fleet of piston fighter planes that have revived World War I tactics for the drone era,” writes Forbes war correspondent David Axe.

Axe documents how a Yak-52 had previously achieved significant success against Russian drones over Kherson Oblast during a three-month period beginning in May 2024. The operation involved a pilot navigating the slow but maneuverable aircraft while a gunner in the rear seat engaged targets with a shotgun.

The effectiveness of this improvised drone hunter was evidenced by “a growing number of kill markings on the side of the old trainer,” with estimates suggesting it had eliminated at least a dozen unmanned aerial vehicles by July.

The Yak-52’s success made it a priority target for Russian forces. As Axe reports, Russian frustration mounted as the aircraft’s kill count increased. He quotes a Russian blogger who wrote: “Isn’t it time to shoot him down?”

However, targeting such a small aircraft with surface-to-air missiles proved challenging. Instead, Russian forces reportedly targeted the aircraft’s base at Hydroport Airfield in Odesa on 15 July. Satellite imagery analyzed by experts suggested an Iskander ballistic missile strike damaged “three drones and several hangars” along with a nearby Ukrainian air defense battery.

Russian Forces seem to have again hit a „airport“, this time in Odesa.

It seems the target were airframes, possibly a Yak-52 and OWA-UAVs and Hangars

2nd Pic:

Red: Yak-52/OWA UAV damaged

Yellow, Orange and Green: 3 different types of UAVs/OWA UAVs(can’t ID them sorry) damaged pic.twitter.com/WSK514st7r

— WarVehicleTracker???????? ☧ (@WarVehicle) July 15, 2024

After a four-month absence following the airfield attack, Yak-52 operations appear to have resumed. Whether the recently spotted aircraft is the original Yak-52, a second aircraft, or part of a growing fleet remains unclear.

This return to World War I-style dogfighting tactics, where a slow-moving aircraft relies on maneuverability and a gunnery crew, is a reminder of how warfare often sees the revival of outdated technologies in novel ways.

Read more:

• Oil pumping through Russia’s drone-struck Kavkazskaya station impossible in foreseeable future, operator says
• Ukrainian Air Force strikes Russian troop concentration in Kursk Oblast, military says
• Frontline report: Ukrainian drones cripple Russian air shield, allowing more strikes on military, energy targets