Stunt Pilot Hunts Russian Shaheds Over Ukraine — The New Yorker
Ukrainian pilot Timur Fatkullin has turned his athletic skills into an effective defense tool and is currently using them to hunt down Russian Shahed-type attack drones at night.
This is reported by the renowned American publication The New Yorker, which traces the pilot’s journey from international aerobatics competitions to participation in military operations at the intersection of civil and military aviation.
His unique experience has formed the basis for the activities of an experimental air defense unit.
Back in 2019, at the World Aerobatics Championship in the Czech Republic, Fatkullin impressed judges and competitors with his unconventional flying style. At the time, the 25-year-old Ukrainian won one of the key stages of the competition by starting his flight program upside down.
His team won gold, and the pilot himself cemented his reputation as an exceptionally skilled and daring pilot.
“He was absolutely phenomenal,” recalled one of the participants, former military navigator Trevor Dugan.
After the onset of the pandemic and the full-scale war, Fatkullin retired from competitive flying. Now 32 years old, he has five children and lives in a constant state of readiness for missions.
His comrades describe him as a man who “lives in the sky.” He himself often wears a flight jacket and military clothing and maintains discipline even in his daily life.
After the start of massive drone attacks, he tried to join the regular forces but ran into bureaucratic obstacles.
Eventually, together with former military pilot Valery Slipkan, he formed a volunteer air defense unit.
Formally, it is a territorial defense unit under the control of the Air Force; unofficially, it is known as “Aerotim.” Its mission is to intercept Russian attack drones in the air using light aircraft.
“I’m a jet pilot flying a ‘bus,’” Fatkullin remarks ironically about his work on the An-28, which was used at the start of the project.
The main challenge in this work is finding a drone in pitch darkness. This is where, according to team members, aerobatic skills become crucial.
Fatkullin and his crew use aircraft capable of flying alongside the “Shaheds” and, at times, even outpacing them. Valery Slipkan calls Fatkullin a unique pilot.
“Timur feels more at home in the sky than some swimmers do in the water,” emphasizes the unit’s founder.
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