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| The Ka-52 Helicopter in Russia-Ukraine War |
International Military - The conflict between Russia and Ukraine gave rise to sophisticated weapons that are not widely known to the public. Each of Russia and Ukraine must have deployed the best weapons to win the war.
In the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict, the Ka-52 takes center stage and becomes the armed helicopter with the highest performance level.
In fact, there were three types of heavily armed helicopters that the Russian army used in this war. In addition to the Ka-52, there were also Mi-24s and Mi-28s, but the Ka-52 mainly carried out many of the Russian army's large-scale airstrike operations.
Moreover, in the battle at Antonov Airport, the Russian army won first and then lost. Then, with the support of strong and continuous heavy fire from Ka-52s and other heavily armed helicopters, they gave a fierce resistance to the Ukrainian Army. The siege brigade finally came to the rescue of the Russian armored forces and was victorious.
The Ka-52 played an important role in this battle and was known as a game changer. The reason why the Ka-52 can cause great destruction to enemy troops is because of the wide range of weapons that help it to provide powerful performance on the battlefield.
As a heavily armed warship, the Ka-52's weapon system is enormous. This weapon has multiple mounting points under its side wings. One of them is the cannon mount point which is located on the right side of the fuselage.
Usually mounted with a 30mm single-barreled 2A42 gun with 280 rounds of ammunition. It can also be fitted with a 23mm cannon, AA-8 or AA-11 air-to-air missiles, VB-32-57 rocket launchers, FAB-50 bombs and other weapons.
The other 4 are rocket/missile mounting points, located under short wings on either side, generally can mount 4 rocket launch pods, up to 80 S-8 rockets, or up to 12 AT-12 laser guides Air-to-surface missiles have a range of 8 -10 kilometers and can penetrate 900 mm armor.
Compared to other armed helicopters, the Ka-52 can provide fire support for ground troops for a longer period of time.
The Ka-52 has the convenience of operation. The most notable feature of the Ka-52 helicopter is its cockpit with a side-by-side two-seat layout instead of the traditional two-seat tandem.
The two-seat tandem arrangement of the traditional cockpit has the gunner at the front and the pilot at the rear. The side-by-side two-seater design is designed and developed according to the driving and combat mission needs of modern armed helicopters.
The advantage is that two people can share certain instruments and equipment, reducing duplication, thereby simplifying instrument operation, allowing pilots to concentrate on target tracking, minimizing decision-making time, and facilitating helicopter coordination and weapon use.
It is worth mentioning that helicopters can launch missiles without changing their flying speed and altitude. Therefore, it can perform the task of hitting ground targets at very low altitudes.
The fighter has several safety features, in addition to strong bulletproof and anti-collision capabilities, the Ka-52 uses a rocket-parachute-ejection safety seat system.
When in danger, the pilot must blow up the top of the plane first. 6 blades of two rotors, and the canopy is left, and then the ejection is carried out.
During the Russo-Ukrainian conflict at Antonov Airport, a Ka-52 was badly damaged after being hit by a Stinger anti-aircraft missile. However, the pilot managed to get out and escape before the helicopter crashed into the river.
In addition to the cockpit, the body of the Ka-52 uses a large amount of composite materials, and its weight accounts for about 35% of the total weight of the aircraft. Composite materials can absorb radar echoes, which can reduce the chances of being detected by enemy radar.
In addition, the damage absorption capacity of the Ka-52 is also good, thus helping to reduce damage from ground fires. The outer layer of the combat fuel tank is made of composite materials, and the inside is a honeycomb structure, which can be automatically sealed after being penetrated by the shell.
As an all-day combat helicopter, it is also equipped with related equipment for night combat and complex weather conditions.