When Shaheds breach Ukraine’s airspace in the north and head towards Sumy or Kyiv, the unit is the first to confront them.Russia has launched almost 5,000 Iranian-developed loitering munitions since they were first shot down in Ukraine in mid-September 2022. The exact number of destroyed Shaheds remains unclear, but daily military reports suggest the majority have been intercepted.Downing a $50,000 drone with Iris-T or NASAMS air defense systems worth $1 million each is considered profligacy. As Ukraine’s war-stricken economy is starved of expensive missiles, mobile fire units with heavy machine guns offer a cost-effective solution against Shaheds.The remains of a Shahed 136 at an exhibition showing remains of missiles and drones that Russia used in the attack on Ukraine in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 12, 2023.