The Ukrainian military released footage on Friday showing the wreckage of a downed Russian helicopter near the eastern city of Kharkiv.
Media reports claim two Russian pilots died in the helicopter crash.
So far, Russia has lost 11 lethal-looking Ka-52 attack helicopters throughout the course of its invasion, according to the team of researchers at the Oryx blog, who have been compiling photo and video evidence of this war.
The Ka-52 is one of the most modern Russian attack helicopters. It is a side-by-side two-seat combat helicopter with a dual reconnaissance and attack role.
The helicopter, also known as Hokum-B, completed its first flight in June 1997. The serial production of Ka-52 began in 2008 at the Progress Arsenyev Aviation plant in the Primorye region of Russia.
Russia’s TASS news agency said the Ka-52 is designated to destroy tanks, armored and non-armored vehicles, manpower, rotorcraft and other enemy aircraft on the frontline and in the tactical depth, in any weather conditions and at any time.
”The Ka-52 offers a high degree of protection for its crew, advanced automatic systems for easy piloting and is easy to service and maintain on the ground,” TASS reported.
According to Airforce-technology.com, the starboard side of the fuselage is fitted with an NPPU-80 movable gun mount installed with a 2A42 30mm automatic gun. The six wing-mounted external hardpoints can be attached with different combinations of weapons.
The hardpoints can carry VIKHR anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), ATAKA missiles with a laser guidance system and B8V-20 rocket launchers for 80mm unguided S-8 rockets. VIKHR anti-tank missile has a range of eight to ten kilometers. The Ka-52s can also be armed with IGLA-V anti-aircraft guided missiles.
