Ukrainian helicopter gets new AI-assisted gun module against Shaheds

The Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation says it has delivered a remotely operated “Khyzhak” combat module for use in Ukrainian aviation, and that the system is now being used against Russian targets.

The foundation announced the delivery on social media, saying it purchased the module through a joint project with the ride-hailing company Uklon called “Pidsvity Voroha 2.0” (“Light Up the Enemy 2.0”). Video accompanying the post shows the module mounted on a helicopter and used against Russian Shahed-type strike drones.

“We are complicating flights for Russian Shaheds,” the foundation wrote. “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 Khyzhak module is built around a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun and can rotate 360 degrees horizontally and elevate up to 75 degrees vertically. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense codified the module and cleared it for use in the Armed Forces. The ministry said the machine guns mounted on the module can be loaded with either Soviet-pattern or NATO-standard 7.62 mm ammunition and that the platform is stabilized, allowing accurate fire while the vehicle carrying it is moving.

The module’s developers designed it to be modular. It can be installed on robotic ground platforms, mounted stationary, adapted for use on vehicles, or fitted to naval systems. The version shown in the foundation’s video represents an adaptation for aviation.

The module includes an artificial intelligence system for automatic target recognition and tracking, including automatic detection of drones. That capability allows operators to use the Khyzhak to engage small first-person-view drones as well as larger Shahed-type drones, which are roughly the size of a small Cessna aircraft, at close range.

The foundation did not disclose how many Khyzhak modules it has funded, which unit or units are operating the system, or the cost of the purchase made through the Uklon partnership.