In a flat terrain such as southern and eastern Ukraine, in the midst of trench warfare in which the advances of the contenders are counted by meters, air control has become essential. It is in that ecosystem that Russia has a key weapon, the Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter. Used in the war in Syria, Moscow has modified it to incorporate the improvements that its troops identified in that conflict and adapt it to its operations in the Ukrainian territory it still occupies after the massive invasion launched in February 2022. The new models incorporate a type of missile capable of overcoming Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses with a range of up to 15,000 meters.
The British Ministry of Defense considers this combat aircraft – known in NATO as Bakum – "one of the most influential Russian weapons systems" to counter the doubling of the counteroffensive that Kiev has launched in the south of the country. The Ukrainian defense forces have intensified their agonizing advance these days with troops trained in the West equipped with German-made Leopard tanks and American Bradley vehicles. Both the US Department of Defense and the Kremlin have acknowledged the reinforcement of the attacks, thanks to which Ukrainian troops managed to temporarily break through Russian defense lines in the town of Robotyne on Friday. Kiev's goal is to open a breach in the corridor linking the occupied east with the south and Crimea in order to reach the shores of the Sea of Azov, still under Moscow's control.
It is in that war scenario where the Ka-52 helicopter may be the key for Russia to slow down or at least slow down the Ukrainian push in Zaporizhia. Manufactured by the Russian company Kamov, the Russian air force has had this aircraft since 2010 and, three years later, it was presented internationally at the Le Bourguet International Motor Show (France), one of the main aeronautical trade fairs worldwide. Thanks to its coaxial rotor – formed by two propellers that rotate in different directions – "it has a unique maneuverability that allows it to perform combat maneuvers within a minimum area and in the shortest possible time to achieve an advantageous attack position," according to the manufacturer. Its maximum speed is 350 kilometers per hour and it can reach an altitude of 5,500 meters. Its autonomy exceeds 500 kilometers.
It is a two-seater armored device in which the pilots sit next to each other, and which has an ejection system for them in case of reach. It can operate day and night and in any type of weather situation thanks to its sensors. In its basic variant, it has a 30-millimeter cannon on its right side and under its wings it can combine in its different configurations several types of projectiles: anti-tank missiles, air-to-air missiles, unguided rockets (80 of 80 millimeters or 10 of 122 millimeters) and bombs of different caliber. In combat missions, this aircraft can carry up to 12 Vijr-type air-to-surface missiles with a range of up to eight kilometers to destroy enemy tanks.
"These are devices that can fly very low, between 50 and 100 meters high, which makes them practically undetectable for Ukrainians," explains analyst Guillermo Pulido, of the magazine Armies. "Given Russia's air superiority, Ukraine cannot shoot them down with its planes or its low-altitude air defenses; In addition, their combat helicopters are much more rudimentary, "adds the specialist, who recalls that some of these devices are equipped with devices that allow deflecting the missiles that are eventually launched against them. "The Ka-52 is, in principle, virtually immune to any weapon that the Ukrainians may employ against it; it can fire rockets from much wider distances than the Stinger anti-aircraft missiles that the Ukrainians have, so it is feasible that it will be a good weapon to stop the counteroffensive," says the analyst.
However, since the mass invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Moscow has lost a forty such devices. At the same time, these helicopters, according to British intelligence, have caused a very serious cost in casualties and damage in the ranks of Kiev. Moscow has deployed in recent months a new model of this same prototype, the Ka-52M, developed after the war in Syria, according to the British Ministry of Defense, and which incorporates the necessary improvements detected by the Russian air force during that campaign.
The completion of upgrade work on the first aircraft of this type was scheduled for October 2022, according to the Russian agency TASS. The improvements consisted of the possibility of incorporating into its armament the 305E cruise missile, which was used in combat for the first time in Syria, although mounted on another attack helicopter, the Mi-28. For this, they were equipped with a specific interface for this type of rocket, a launcher and a radio link to guide it. Its performance was also increased "with a 360º vision system, the latest data exchange systems and satellite navigation equipment," according to the same agency.
The 305E almost doubles the range of the Vijr, with a range of about 15 kilometers. It is an LMUR (short for Light Multipurpose Guided Rocket) type device with a much greater operational and destructive capability. In addition to its range, it has a warhead of 25 kilos, three times larger than that of the previous rockets used with the Ka-52. It is a much larger model (105 kilos), guided by optical or thermal devices and whose trajectory can be modified in full flight via satellite, which allows the attack helicopter to immediately separate from the launch site, even without having previously fixed a target. A portable Stinger anti-aircraft missile like those provided by the US to Kiev has a maximum range of about 6,000 meters.
Under these conditions, the Ukrainian intelligence services must play a central role, according to the experts consulted. The autonomy of these aircraft is very limited and it is possible, with the current technological means, to know in advance the base from which they depart for their operations and the trajectory they follow until they have their objectives within reach. Experts also point to the possibility of using electronic warfare devices capable of deflecting the new missiles they carry.
The Russians have realized the advantage of mounting this type of ammunition on their helicopters and have already used it. "Ka-52 crews have quickly seized opportunities to try to launch such devices beyond the range of Ukrainian air defenses," the British intelligence report said Thursday. It now remains to be seen whether the weaponry provided by the West to Kiev is sufficient for its army to continue advancing southward despite the theoretical superiority that, according to one of its main allies, the United Kingdom, these military teams can give Moscow to stop its onslaught.
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