Ukrainian Mi-24V helicopters used YakB-12.7 nose guns against Russian Shahed-136/131 one-way attack drones in 2025; separate July 2026 reporting described Russian troops apparently testing a truck-mounted YakB-12.7 as an improvised anti-aircraft gun, with the unverified training video showing the weapon spinning out of control after firing.
Role detailsAircraft & UAVs
Yak-B 12.7 mm machine gun
Also known as
- YakB-12.7
- Yak-B
- YakB
- Yakushev-Borzov Yak-B
- Yakushev-Borzov YakB-12.7
- YakB-12.7mm
- 9A624
- 9-A-624
- TKB-063
- YakBYu-12.7
- YakB-Yu-12.7
The Yak-B is a Soviet four-barrel 12.7x108 mm gas-operated rotary aircraft machine gun developed for the Mi-24 Hind's chin turret. It gave Mi-24D and Mi-24V-family helicopters a high-rate flexible nose gun, while later Ukrainian Mi-24V crews used the same gun class in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War to engage Russian Shahed-type drones.
Role in Conflicts
Reported Truck-Mount Mishap
July 2026 reporting tied the YakB-12.7 to a Russian improvised mobile-air-defense incident, not a standard ground installation. The Times described video shared by Russian military bloggers in which troops appeared to mount a YakB-12.7, reportedly taken from a Mi-24 helicopter, on the bed of a military truck as an anti-aircraft weapon against Ukrainian drones. When the gunner fired, the weapon reportedly spun wildly on its rotating mount, forcing a nearby soldier to duck while the gunner was lifted and thrown around the mount before the firing stopped.
The incident should be read as evidence of attempted adaptation under drone-defense pressure, not as proof that the YakB-12.7 is a practical ground gun. Times of India similarly reported that the footage showed rounds spraying unpredictably across the range, no confirmed casualties, and no independently verified date or location. It also noted claims that the gun had been mounted with its barrel axis offset from the turret axis and that posts attributed roughly 1,400 kgf of recoil to the weapon, while those technical claims were not officially confirmed.
Sources: The Times YakB truck-mount mishap; Times of India YakB training mishap.
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Built by
- KBP Instrument Design Bureau
- Type
- Four-barrel 12.7 mm aircraft rotary machine gun
- Service note
- Cold War aircraft-gun design introduced on Mi-24D/Mi-24V-family helicopters and still encountered on legacy Hind variants
- Designer
- KBP Instrument Design Bureau; Pyotr Yakushev and Boris Borzov design lineage
- Designed
- 1968-1977 development and acceptance period
- Produced
- 1973-1990s in WeaponSystems.net; specialist Russian summaries place serial-production preparation earlier
- Number built
- Several thousand reported by specialist references
Specifications
- Caliber
- 12.7x108 mm Soviet
- Barrels
- Four rotating barrels
- Action
- Gas-operated rotary mechanism with single belt feed
- Rate of fire
- 4,000-5,000 rounds per minute in specialist references; 4,000-4,500 rounds per minute in one Russian technical-history summary
- Muzzle velocity
- 810 m/s
- Weight
- 45 kg gun weight
- YakBYu-12.7 weight
- 60 kg weapon weight in archived KBP manufacturer data
- Length
- 1,345 mm
- Barrel length
- 970 mm reported by Vimpel-V
- Sighting range
- 1,500 m reported by Vimpel-V
- Designation indexes
- YakB-12.7 baseline; TKB-063 factory/design index; 9-A-624 / 9A624 Soviet aviation-armament designation in technical and Mi-24 sources
- Mi-24 ammunition supply
- 1,470-round belt in the Mi-24 installation
- Turret installation
- VSPU-24/USPU-24 chin turret on Mi-24D and Mi-24V-family helicopters
- Turret movement
- Up to 60 degrees left or right and up to 20 degrees above the helicopter axis in the Mi-24 installation, with downward limits reported as 40-60 degrees across sources
- Continuous-fire limit
- Vimpel-V says the standard Mi-24 installation could not fire more than 400 rounds continuously or across one firing pass before cooling limits
- Ammunition notes
- Vimpel-V reports 12.7x108 mm B-32, BZT-44, and 1LS two-bullet loads for YakB context; Rosoboronexport's current 57-BZ-542 B-32 export sheet explicitly excludes the YakB-12.7, so generic 12.7x108 mm B-32 data should not be treated as YakB-compatible without model-specific support
Gun And Installation
The Yak-B was designed as a helicopter installation rather than a portable heavy machine gun. Its four-barrel mechanism is driven by propellant gas and a starter system instead of the external electric motor common on many rotary guns.
Mi-24 fit
WeaponSystems.net, Vimpel-V, and the Czech MoD place the gun in Mi-24D/Mi-24V-family nose-turret context with a 1,470-round ammunition supply.
Fire-control limits
Vimpel-V describes wide turret movement, but also notes overheating limits that constrained long continuous bursts from the full helicopter ammunition load.
Pod context
WeaponSystems.net and the Czech MoD also list the Yak-B/9A624 in the GUV/GUV9A gun-pod family, while the fixed Mi-24 turret remained the gun's main cataloged relationship here.
Sources: WeaponSystems.net Yak-B; Vimpel-V YakB-12.7; Czech MoD Mi-24.
Variants
The core YakB-12.7/9A624 gun was followed by a YakBYu-12.7 modernization intended to improve sustained-fire endurance while retaining the same broad helicopter-installation role.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| YakB-12.7 / 9A624 | Original Mi-24 aircraft machine gun | The baseline weapon used a four-barrel gas-operated rotary mechanism, 12.7x108 mm ammunition, and the VSPU-24/USPU-24 chin turret installation on Mi-24D and Mi-24V-family helicopters; sources also identify TKB-063 as the factory/design index and 9-A-624/9A624 as the aviation-armament designation. Sources: WeaponSystems.net Yak-B, Vimpel-V YakB-12.7, Aviaros YakB-12.7, Czech MoD Mi-24 |
| YakBYu-12.7 | Modernized sustained-fire variant | Russian technical-history summaries describe the YakBYu-12.7 modernization as a Yakushev-Borzov-Yurishchev update accepted in 1988 to improve reliability and permit longer continuous firing before cooling limits; archived KBP data lists the modernized gun at 60 kg compared with 45 kg for the baseline YakB-12.7. |
Carrier Aircraft
The Yak-B is primarily a Hind-family helicopter gun rather than a standalone ground weapon.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Attack helicopter and armed assault transport | WeaponSystems.net says the Yak-B was developed for the Mi-24D chin turret and also used on later and export Mi-24 models; the Czech MoD identifies the Mi-24D nose installation as a four-barrel 9A624 12.7 mm gun with 1,470 cartridges, and Defense Express documents Ukrainian Mi-24V use of the YakB-12.7 in Shahed-drone interception missions. Sources: WeaponSystems.net Yak-B, Czech MoD Mi-24, Defense Express Shahed helicopter tactics |
Ammunition Fired
| Ammunition | Ammunition type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 12.7 mm heavy machine-gun cartridge | Specialist references identify the Yak-B as firing the Soviet 12.7x108 mm cartridge family, and Russian technical summaries list B-32, BZT-44, and 1LS loads for the gun. Sources: WeaponSystems.net Yak-B, Vimpel-V YakB-12.7 |
Timeline
Yak-B 12.7 mm machine gun Key Events
High-rate Mi-24 gun project begins
Russian technical-history sources place the start of the YakB program in 1968, tied to requirements for a high-rate 12.7 mm aircraft gun for the developing Mi-24 combat helicopter; Aviaros says the project received the TKB-063 factory designation.
Sources: Vimpel-V YakB-12.7, Aviaros YakB-12.7
Service-era Yak-B configuration identified
Specialist references list 1973 as the Yak-B service-entry point and identify the gun by YakB-12.7, TKB-063, and 9A624 designations.
Sources: WeaponSystems.net Yak-B
Accepted for Mi-24 helicopter armament
Vimpel-V reports that the YakB-12.7 was accepted in March 1976 as Mi-24 helicopter gun armament, after Mi-24D and Mi-24V installation testing.
Sources: Vimpel-V YakB-12.7
YakBYu modernization accepted
Russian summaries place YakBYu-12.7 acceptance in January 1988, after work to improve reliability and raise sustained-fire endurance; archived KBP data lists YakBYu as a heavier 12.7x108 mm model in the same gun family.
Sources: Vimpel-V YakB-12.7, Archived KBP YakB and YakBYu
Ukrainian Mi-24V Shahed-interception role reported
Defense Express described Ukrainian 11th Army Aviation Brigade Mi-24V helicopters using the YakB-12.7 as the primary weapon in published Shahed-drone interception footage.
Sources: Defense Express Shahed helicopter tactics
Russian truck-mount training mishap reported
The Times and Times of India reported viral footage of Russian troops apparently testing a YakB-12.7 removed from its helicopter context on a rotating truck-bed mount; after firing, the gun reportedly spun violently, nearby soldiers dived for cover, and the gunner was thrown around the mount, while reporting said the date and location were not independently verified and no casualties were reported.
Sources: The Times YakB truck-mount mishap, Times of India YakB training mishap
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
WeaponSystems.net Yak-BPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports Yak-B identity, origin, KBP development attribution, designations, service period, Mi-24D and later Mi-24 platform relationship, 12.7x108 mm ammunition, 1,470-round Mi-24 feed, and core specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Vimpel-V YakB-12.7Publisher: Vimpel-V | Note: Supports Russian-language development chronology, 1968-1977 development context, 1976 Mi-24 acceptance, YakBYu modernization, Mi-24D/Mi-24V installation context, ammunition notes, and technical specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Archived KBP YakB and YakBYuPublisher: KBP Instrument Design Bureau via Internet Archive | Note: Archived manufacturer page supporting YakB-12.7 and YakBYu-12.7 identity as 12.7x108 mm quadruple machine guns intended for Mi-24 helicopters, plus side-by-side rate of fire, muzzle velocity, and weapon-weight data. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Czech MoD Mi-24Publisher: Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic | Note: Official Mi-24 reference supporting the Mi-24D nose-turret installation of a four-barrel 9A624 12.7 mm machine gun with 1,470 cartridges and the GUV9A pod option with one 9-A-624 and two 9-A-622 guns. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Aviaros YakB-12.7Publisher: Aviaros | Note: Specialist Russian-language technical page supporting TKB-063 and 9A624 designation context, 1968 project start, factory testing chronology, Mi-24/USPU-24 installation context, and baseline technical data. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Rosoboronexport 57-BZ-542 cartridgePublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Supports the ammunition caveat that Rosoboronexport's 57-BZ-542 B-32 12.7x108 mm cartridge sheet excludes YakB-12.7 use, so generic B-32 data should not be applied to YakB without model-specific support. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Commons YakB-127 ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a Yakushev-Borzov YakB-12.7 machine gun photographed on a Mi-24 helicopter at the Museum of Hungarian Aviation in Szolnok, with reusable Commons licensing. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Defense Express Shahed helicopter tacticsPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct use by Ukrainian Mi-24V helicopters, stating that the 11th Army Aviation Brigade used the YakB-12.7 as the primary weapon against Russian Shahed-136/131 drones. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Business Insider Ukraine helicopter drone defensePublisher: Business Insider | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context for Ukrainian helicopter drone-defense missions, including a Ukrainian Mi-24 Hind shooting down a Russian Shahed-type attack drone with its Yak-B gatling gun; it does not independently support the Mi-24V variant or 11th Brigade attribution. | Accessed: 2026-07-13The Times YakB truck-mount mishapPublisher: The Times | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use/adaptation context: reporting described Russian troops apparently trying to field a YakB-12.7 taken from a Mi-24 helicopter as a truck-mounted anti-aircraft gun against Ukrainian drones, with the video showing the weapon spinning out of control; the article notes the footage was not independently verified and the date/location were unclear. | Accessed: 2026-07-14Times of India YakB training mishapPublisher: The Times of India | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War adaptation context by describing a viral Russian YakB-12.7 training incident, the truck-mounted or ground-firing caveat, lack of verified casualty reports, and claims about offset mounting and recoil that were not officially confirmed. | Accessed: 2026-07-14