Ukraine Puts AI-Guided Machine-Gun Turret on Helicopter to Hunt Russian Shaheds

A Ukrainian remotely operated machine-gun system originally designed for use across multiple combat platforms has now been adapted for aviation, with footage showing the Khyzhak module mounted aboard a helicopter and used to engage Russian Shahed-type drones, according to Defence Blog on September 3.

The Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation announced that it had delivered the system for Ukrainian aviation after purchasing it through a joint fundraising project with ride-hailing company Uklon.

Video released by the foundation shows the remotely controlled weapon installed on a helicopter and operating against Russian aerial targets.

“We are complicating flights for Russian Shaheds. The video shows the remotely controlled Khyzhak combat module, which the Foundation delivered for aviation. We purchased it as part of a joint project with Uklon, ‘Pidsvity Voroha 2.0.’ And now this module is successfully working against enemy targets, thank you for that!” the foundation wrote.

The Khyzhak is built around a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun and provides full 360-degree horizontal rotation, while the weapon can elevate as much as 75 degrees vertically.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has already codified the system and cleared it for use by the Armed Forces.

The stabilized mount is designed to maintain accurate fire while the platform carrying it is moving. According to the ministry, the weapon system can also use compatible 7.62 mm ammunition of both Soviet and NATO standards.

What makes the Khyzhak particularly versatile is its modular architecture.

The system can be fitted to unmanned ground vehicles, installed in fixed defensive positions, mounted on conventional vehicles or integrated with maritime platforms. The version shown in the latest footage represents an airborne adaptation of the same basic concept.

The module also incorporates artificial intelligence-assisted target recognition and tracking.

Its software can automatically detect and follow aerial targets, including drones, reducing the workload on the human operator and helping keep the weapon aligned with fast-moving threats.

That capability allows the Khyzhak to be used against small FPV drones as well as much larger Shahed-type UAVs at relatively close range.

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Category

War in Ukraine

Ukraine’s Mi-24V Helicopter Is Running Out of Camouflage—Because Kill Marks Are Taking Over

Jun 30, 2026 15:33

Previously, Ukrainian forces carried out a precision airstrike on a camouflaged Russian position deep inside enemy defensive lines.

The operation unfolded in two stages. First, aerial reconnaissance operators from Ukraine’s 15th Army Corps detected a well-hidden Russian position inside a forested area and passed its coordinates to aviation units.

A Ukrainian combat helicopter then struck the target with rockets.

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