The Finnish Armed Forces have conducted helicopter-based counter-drone exercises during the ADEX MalletStrike125 military exercise.
An NH90 helicopter mounted with M134 miniguns downed drone targets with onboard troops also attempting to engage the target using small arms.
The exercise reflects a broader trend of neutralizing drones from helicopters, inspired by Ukraine’s example, as Russia fortifies military bases near its 1,340-kilometer (830 miles) border with the NATO country.
“The lessons of the war in Ukraine are being applied. In the ADEX #MalletStrike125 exercise, drone combat is practised together using a variety of means. The Utti Jaeger Regiment will also participate in the exercise with its own drone combat capabilities,” the Finnish Army said on X.
Ukrainan sodan opit jalkautuneet. ADEX #MalletStrike125 -harjoituksessa lennokin torjuntaa harjoitellaan yhdessä monipuolisin keinoin. Utin jääkärirykmentti osallistuu harjoitukseen myös omilla lennokin torjuntakyvyillään. pic.twitter.com/L9So5j832g
— Maavoimat (@Maavoimat) May 17, 2025
Chopper-Based Counter-Drone Tactics
Reports of Kyiv using its Mi-8 helicopter’s onboard weapons to intercept Moscow’s Shahed attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) circulated in 2024.
With attritable UAVs like Shaheds prone to overwhelming traditional ground-based air defense systems, helicopters offer a cost-effective way to fill in the gaps as an added layer of protection.
Unlike expensive fighter jets designed for high-speed targets and equipped with pricey ordnance, helicopters are comparatively cheaper and better suited to engage low-flying, low-speed, and low-cost drones.
Choppers offer operational flexibility as they do not require runways and can be integrated with weapons such as machine guns to down UAVs.
Countries previously documented using helicopter-based counter-drone tactics include the US Army’s AH-64 Apache hitting a UAV target during an exercise in Saudi Arabia in October 2024 and the French Navy, which deployed an undisclosed helicopter to down Houthi drones in the Red Sea in March 2024.
EUNAVFOR ASPIDES 🇪🇺 | Interception par l’hélicoptère de la frégate 🇫🇷 d’un drone aérien en provenance du Yémen menaçant le trafic maritime civil en mer Rouge.
➡️ La priorité: assurer la liberté de navigation et la sûreté maritime de Suez à Ormuz https://t.co/pJjwPK2c8b pic.twitter.com/KQ8DD17hRL— Armée française – Opérations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) March 20, 2024
