- Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) struck a Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter as it flew over the Belgorod region with a SkyFall Shrike 10 FPV drone, hitting the helicopter from above.
- The attack, which saw a drone strike for $400 and “kill” a $19 million attack helicopter according to Skyfall, represents an impressive exchange ratio of 47,500x.
- The attack is not isolated: Russia has lost more than 20 Mi-28s in similar attacks since the start of the conflict in 2022.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to expand as the latter continues to leverage asymmetric warfare to defend itself against a rival with superior technology and manpower, even as the conflict enters its fifth year.
This is largely because Ukraine has shifted to local manufacturing of drones and robots, which helps counter Russian heavy weapons such as tanks, helicopters and APCs by using cheap but effective drones and robots to hold the line.
This has also allowed several startups to join the battle, offering low-cost options, often funded by external partners and allies to support Ukraine’s war effort, and SkyFall’s Shrike 10 FPV drone is one of them.
An impressive achievement, but with controversial claims
The Shrike 10 FPV drone, which costs less than a mid-range smartphone, flew alongside a Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter, climbed above it and dove into its tail boom on the morning of July 17, 2026, in Russia’s Belgorod region.
The strike was carried out by operators of the 427th separate unmanned systems brigade “Rarog” and confirmed by Major Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), who published on Telegram the footage of the drone’s final approach with the laconic caption that the “night fighter” had gone “into the ground.”
Ukrainian company SkyFall, whose FPY drone, the Shrike 10, was involved in the attack, said its unit price was less than $400. The Mi-28, from the same company, costs $19 million.
While the title is impressive, the math may not be fully verified: other sources estimate the cost of the Mi-28 at around $15 million, while a recent deal with Germany (50,000 FPV drones built by SkyFall for Ukraine, equipped with autonomous targeting software from US company Auterion in a €90 million (~$103 million) deal) could mean that some Liberties could have been taken to arrive at the $400 figure, although the Shrike 10 that attacked the Mi-28 could be configured differently or be at the lower end of the spectrum.
The example, according to which Ukraine claims the destruction of a costly part of the Russian arsenal, is partly unconfirmed, with independent observers pointing out that there is no video of the consequences and that attack helicopters often survive and manage to land after such shots. It is to Ukraine’s credit, however, that a similar killing was reported in 2025 by the Ukrainian armed forces, with footage confirming the accident that followed.
Whatever the sum, the fact that a drone that costs ten thousandths of the price of a modernized attack helicopter to hunt it could be a credible predator of it is potentially alarming, not only to the Russians but to military planners around the world, even if the damages in question could be disputed.
This is further corroborated by unverified sources claiming that the damage was “minor” and did not affect either of the helicopter’s occupants at the time, thus disputing much of SkyFall’s claims beyond the drone impact.
The Russian Defense Ministry, however, has not commented directly on the matter, and no open source tracking tool such as Oryx has confirmed the wreckage imagery.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently said his country is producing 10 million drones annually while aiming for a production goal of 20 million drones in the future, largely supported by foreign aid, indicating that the Russian Mi-28, which has recorded more than 20 confirmed visual losses since the start of the conflict, continues to be both an attacker and defender against drones of all shapes and sizes.
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