At 2:47 PM over the skies of Kherson, a lone Ukrainian Mi-24 Hind helicopter flies straight into the engagement zone of a Russian MANPADS team. But this isn’t a mistake - it’s bait. What follows is one of the most daring tactical plays of the war: a helicopter uses its own vulnerability as a weapon. Armed with 80 unguided S-8KOM rockets and watched by a hidden Igla missile crew, the Mi-24 unleashes a seemingly wasteful barrage over empty terrain. But behind that chaos lies strategy. When the Russians fire their Igla, they give away everything. Their launch is detected, triangulated, and within 90 seconds a Ukrainian FPV drone has their exact position. Eight minutes later, the drone finishes what the helicopter started. This isn’t just a dramatic airstrike - it’s a total redefinition of how helicopters, drones, and air defenses interact on the modern battlefield. It’s bait-and-switch warfare executed with precision, speed, and psychological dominance. Watch how Ukraine turns a Cold War gunship into a 21st-century hunter, and how one missile launch rewrites the rules of engagement.
