The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) reportedly celebrated the 11-month anniversary of the Russian invasion by shooting down three of Russia’s “most advanced” attack helicopters.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post Jan. 24 that three Ka-52 helicopters were wiped out in the Donetsk region in less than 30 minutes. A Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) Su-25 fighter jet was also shot down.
The post read: “On January 24, Ukrainian Air Defense Forces shot down three Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters within 30 minutes. The aircraft conducted missions near Yevhenivka (Volnovakha District, Donetsk Oblast). Ukrainian defenders also shot down 1x Russian Su-25 near Bakhmut.”
According to a tweet from the Ukrainian Air Force, the helicopters were all shot down by anti-aircraft missiles in the first hour of January 24. However, the tweet did not specify which anti-aircraft missile was used to shoot down the helicopters.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine also took a sneer at the Russian helicopters by posting a tweet that read, “The alligators shouldn’t fly.”
This isn’t the first time the AFU has shot down multiple Russian helicopters in record time. In October 2022, Ukrainian forces reportedly destroyed four Russian helicopters within 18 minutes in the south of the country. One of these helicopters was the Ka-52 Alligator, which crashed in the area, which at that time had recently been liberated from Russian control.
Fall like Russian flies. Over night, #Ukraine‘s air defenses downed 3 Ka-52 attack helicopters. Yesterday they also shot down 1 Ka-52 and 2 Su-25 jets. https://t.co/999V5MX3TO pic.twitter.com/1DFzeJZsQi
— Glasnost Gone (@GlasnostGone) January 24, 2023
Due to the Ukrainian military’s extensive use of air defense systems and anti-aircraft missiles, Russian planes refrain from penetrating Ukrainian airspace and firing missiles from a distance.
However, the Ka-52 helicopter provides fire support and is mainly tasked with destroying Ukrainian tanks. Therefore, the helicopter threatens to be shot down by the Kiev air defense.
For example, a recent viral video showed a Ka-52 helicopter blowing up a Ukrainian defense position near Ugledar. The Alligator successfully knocked out several Ukrainian tanks and military vehicles. However, some of these state-of-the-art helicopters have, as might be expected, been lost in combat after being hit by advanced MANPADS deployed by the AFU.
The Russian Ka-52 fires ATGM at a Ukrainian frontline position pic.twitter.com/ff7m3AwFgW
— LogKa (@LogKa11) January 24, 2023
Ukraine estimates that Russia has lost 281 helicopters since hostilities began in February 2022. In December, Oryx’s open-source intelligence tracker claimed Russia had lost at least 27 Ka-52 aircraft. With the known loss of 3 more that number has now increased to 30 as there have been no further losses in the meantime.
A Ka-52, which is considered the best attack helicopter in the world, costs around 15 million US dollars. It is noteworthy that the anti-aircraft missile used to shoot down the Russian helicopter would have cost a fraction of the cost of a Ka-52 Alligator. More importantly, Russia lost $45 million worth of equipment in less than an hour.
Ka-52 Alligators of the VKS
The Ka-52 is Russia’s most advanced attack helicopter with an altitude of 18,000 feet and a top speed of 186 miles per hour. Notable features include side-by-side cockpit chairs and pilot ejection seats. Its six wing-mounted hardpoints can hold more than 4,000 pounds of weaponry, including cannons, rocket launchers and missiles.
A 30mm automatic cannon is located on the right side of the fuselage, and certain helicopter variants also have a nose-mounted Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera.
The Ka-52 helicopter, also known as the “Alligator”, is an all-weather attack helicopter built to destroy unarmored and armored targets and troops, as well as low-speed air targets. It is also used as an air command post and surveillance platform for a squadron of attack helicopters.
The Russian Aerospace Forces have used the Ka-52 extensively to achieve these objectives, and it can also destroy enemy soldiers and helicopters at tactical depth or on the front line.
The Ka-52’s combat performance, where it suffered casualties during the ongoing Ukraine War, directly refutes Russia’s claims that it can operate smoothly in modern combat zones. Ukrainian MANPADS shot down almost all Ka-52s lost in combat.
File Image: Ka-52 Alligator
It was previously reported that the helicopter is subject to severe vibration, leading to mechanical failures and vibration-induced fatigue. Images and videos on social media have previously depicted a variety of Ka-52 helicopter damage caused by excessive body vibration during takeoff or landing.
In late December, a video showing the Ukrainian military loading the rotorcraft went viral on social media, leading to speculation that it would be investigated by Western engineers. According to reports, the helicopter was lost to the Ukrainian defenses at the start of the invasion.
The Ka-52 attack helicopters reportedly stormed Hostomel (Gostomel) Airport on February 24 as Russia began invading Ukraine to take control of the runway. Several of these state-of-the-art helicopters have since been used and have been lost in combat.