Ukraine's 11th army aviation brigade reported on 9/2 that one of its Mi-24 attack helicopters crashed during a combat mission, killing the two-person crew. The brigade did not specify the cause of the incident.

"The ukrainian helicopter launched to intercept a russian geran-2 suicide drone. However, an r-60 air-to-air missile fired from the uav struck the Mi-24's engine as it approached the target," stated Alexander Kots, a war correspondent for the russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.

UAV Geran carrying a launch rail and R-60 air-to-air missile in a video published on 1/12/2025. Video: *Sternenko Community Fund*

Russian media revealed that the operating crew directly controlled the geran-2 uav when it launched the missile that shot down the ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter.

Serhii Beskrestnov, an advisor to Ukraine's defense minister, believes Russia has equipped the geran-2 with radio wave modems and deployed a mesh wifi communication network. Each uav acts as a "station" that transmits, receives, and relays data, ensuring seamless connectivity between aircraft and their operators.

"A fleet of 50-100 uavs can form a unified network, allowing immediate data redirection through another device if one station is destroyed or loses connection. The operating crew can also control each aircraft in this network at any time. This presents a challenge for Ukraine," advisor Beskrestnov acknowledged.

This method helps Russia maintain operations and high-precision attack capabilities with a large number of suicide uavs, even as Kyiv and SpaceX recently sought to neutralize starlink satellite internet transceivers that Moscow possesses and equips on long-range uavs.

Sketch of a Geran-2 UAV carrying an R-60 air-to-air missile. Graphics: *SBU*

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Yury Myronenko emphasized the difficulty in countering geran-2s controlled in real-time.

"Russian pilots can handle emerging situations, even hunt and attack ukrainian fighter jets and helicopters intercepting uavs. This not only reduces the reaction time of ukrainian air defense but also creates a series of new problems," he said.

Correspondent Kots assessed that the combination of air-to-air missiles and the new connectivity mechanism will transform geran-2 fleets into unified, multi-layered combat systems capable of coordinating and engaging enemy manned aircraft.

"Not all geran aircraft are fitted with air-to-air missiles. However, even a small number of aircraft carrying r-60 munitions or man-portable air-defense systems will create surprise, becoming a deterrent that cannot be ignored and forcing the ukrainian air force to act more cautiously," he noted.

He also asserted that this is not the first time a geran-2 uav has shot down a ukrainian manned aircraft with an air-to-air missile, since Russia began deploying the new assets in early december 2025.

"On 8/12/2025, a geran-2 launched a missile and downed a Su-27 heavy fighter from the 39th tactical aviation brigade, piloted by lieutenant colonel Yevhenii Ivanov. Just nine days later, a geran-2 uav again shot down an Mi-24 helicopter belonging to the 12th separate army aviation brigade, killing Hero of Ukraine Oleksandr Shemet and three comrades," Kots said.

Ukrainian officials at the time confirmed both aircraft crashes but did not specify the cause. Shemet's relatives revealed that preliminary investigations indicated the Mi-24 helicopter "collided with a russian uav". Some ukrainian commentators also implied that the Su-27 fighter jet was hit by a missile, but the source of fire was unclear.

Mi-24 helicopter of the Ukrainian army. Photo: *Militarnyi*

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on 8/2 that geran uavs initially carried forward-facing air-to-air missiles but have recently also been fitted with backward-facing missiles.

"The first configuration is for geran-2s specializing in hunting ukrainian helicopters and aircraft on interception missions. The backward-facing munition configuration will allow the uav to attack pursuing aircraft and then continue towards its original target," ISW explained.

Nguyen Tien (According to Lenta, Strana, AP)