Ukraine has Created a Powerful New Weapon

Secret weapon  to counter Russian drones.

The Gaze reports on it according to MSN.

In August 2025, reports began to indicate that Ukraine had started fielding a powerful new weapon in the war to defend its skies from Russian drones. A new type of fighter plane was defending the country's airspace. However, the situation was more complicated than it appeared. On August 8th, 2025, reports began emerging suggesting one of the ways that Ukraine was countering the threat of Russian drones was through the use of a weird new plane designed to shoot down enemy drones. A video of the strange aircraft was captured as it was flying over a field.

However, the new anti-drone fighter plane wasn't some advanced weapon that had just rolled off a production line in the United States or a similarly powerful Ukrainian ally. In reality, the plane was a modified agricultural aircraft made by a company in the Czech Republic.

According to a report from the Ukrainian military news outlet Militarnyi, a local resident in Ukraine spotted a heavily modified Czech-made Zlin Z-137 civilian turboprop aircraft that was armed with missiles. The person who saw the plane was able to capture a short video of the aircraft, which was later published on the Telegram war reporting channel 'Tysk'. In the video, the modified Z-137 could be seen flying low over a field. The tail section of the plane sported a Ukrainian aviation insignia, which suggested the plane was a system being fielded by Ukraine. But what is this aircraft, and what was it carrying into battle? 

The Zlin Z-137 Agro Turbo is essentially a crop duster. According to The Aviationist, the plane is a variant of the older Soviet-era Z-37 Čmelák, which was manufactured in Czechoslovakia from the 1960s to the 1980s and designed to fly at low altitudes and low speeds. A Z-137 only has a stall speed of 88 kilometers per hour (or 44 knots), making the plane a perfect platform to hunt a particularly menacing Russian enemy: drones. This is important because, as The Aviationist pointed out, it would free up Ukraine’s more advanced fighter jets for other important missions and operations. 

Interceptor drones and helicopters have been two of the key aerial methods used to counter Russia’s drone threats. Kyiv has also employed Soviet-era Yak-52 planes with a co-pilot who is armed with a shotgun or other small arms weapon to track and destroy Russian reconnaissance drones. 

However, the recent sighting of a Z-137 painted in a dark grey and sporting a Ukrainian aviation insignia suggests that a new aircraft is likely hunting drones. This is supported by the fact that the recently spotted plane was equipped with two AKU-73 pylons. According to Militarnyi, on those AKU-73 pylons were likely R-73 missiles. United24 reported that the R-73 is a short-range infrared-guided missile most commonly used for close-range dogfights, another piece of evidence suggesting the Z-137 is an anti-drone weapon. 

“One promising direction in countering Shaheds is the use of light aircraft. We already have some, and more are on the way thanks to financial and material support from our foreign partners,” Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi explained. “This capability will expand. We are receiving modern aircraft equipped with advanced weapons and navigation systems, which will enhance our ability to counter Russian drone strikes,” Syrskyi continued. 

As the Gaze reported earlier Netherlands Orders 100 Drone-Hunting Rada rs After Ukrainian Battlefield Success