Helicopters in the age of drones: how the Russia-Ukraine war is reshaping military aviation doctrine
Attack helicopters have come a long way during the Russia-Ukraine war. They have carried out daring supply missions to Ukrainian troops defending the Azovstal Steelworks, conducted the first strike on a Russian oil depot in Belgorod and gradually withdrawn from the front line before taking on a new role as an air defence asset against drones.
Read this Ukrainska Pravda story to find out how drone warfare has transformed the role of attack helicopters and how the Ukrainian military and global defence companies envisage the future of military aviation.
The twilight of the "flying tank" era: from Hostomel to tactical impasse
In March 2026, the crew of a Ukrainian Navy Mi-8 destroyed 12 Russian Shahed loitering munitions over the sea in just three hours. Four years earlier, Russian Mi-8 helicopters had skimmed treetops on their way to Hostomel, just outside Kyiv, carrying paratroopers to establish an air bridge for the assault on the Ukrainian capital.