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| Loss of 23 Units Ka-52 Alligator Attack Helicopters, Russia Suspected of Huge Loss |
Moscow - The Russian military allegedly lost 25 percent or 23 attack helicopters Ka-52 "Alligator". This is of course the impact of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The data was presented by the British Ministry of Defense, which also revealed that the Russian attack helicopter was a major victim of the Ukrainian air defense missile system (manpad).
Quoted from Defense Security Asia, in an update via its Twitter account a few days ago, the British Ministry of Defense stated that Russia has 90 attack helicopters in its armed forces. According to him, Russian attack helicopters are most likely victims of the Ukrainian air defense missile system (manpad).
Read Also: 23 Russian Ka-52 Attack Helicopters Destroyed by MANPADS, Ukraine Also Lost 155 Helicopters
One of the Ka-52 helicopters was shot down by Ukrainian forces. This is coupled with Russian attack helicopters operating without the protection of fighter jets as is practiced in the country's military doctrine.
"Russia is still failing to maintain air superiority to enable it to carry out air support operations without risking the use of helicopters in combat areas," the UK Ministry of Defence said.
It also said that Russian military commanders were forced to carry out high-risk helicopter strike missions. This was because they had no choice about how to provide close support to their troops fighting on the ground. Meanwhile, the Ka-52 helicopter itself is a fairly sophisticated defense equipment. This helicopter even has a naval version, the Ka-52K.
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Quoted from the Eurasian Times, the Ka-52K is equipped with a 30mm cannon, air-to-ground missiles, ground attack rocket pods and radar with a range of more than 200 kilometers. The helicopter can also carry powerful anti-ship missiles with a range of more than 100 kilometers. This turns it into a "multi-role" helicopter that can perform reconnaissance and reconnaissance missions, provide targeting information, monitor the battlefield, and close air support like a heavy gunship helicopter.
However, the biggest concern is that the sensor technology used in the helicopters may have been shipped to Western countries via Ukraine.