The Ukrainian military continues to attack along several axes, making slow but steady progress in the Donbas and southern Ukraine.
The Russian forces are putting up fierce and skillful resistance on the ground while also using aviation to inflict damage on the Ukrainian units.
To stall the Ukrainian counteroffensive, the Russian military is using a large number of attack helicopters, with the Ka-52 Alligator being “one of the single most influential Russian weapon systems in the sector,” according to British Military Intelligence.
Russian Ka-52 Alligators Against Ukrainian Tanks
On the first days of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, satellite imagery revealed that the Russian military had moved more than 20 attack helicopters close to the frontlines to support the Russian defensive effort. It is now likely that among these attack helicopters are a number of Ka-52M Alligators.
In recent months, Russia has highly likely augmented the force in the south with at least a small number of brand new, Ka-52M variant, British Military Intelligence assessed in its latest estimate of the war.
Announced in 2018, the new “M” version of the attack helicopter is brand new, and its design has been informed by the fighting in Syria, where Russian attack helicopters played an important role. According to Russian state news media, the Russian Aerospace Forces received its first ten new Ka-52M Alligators in January.
“Another key improvement to the Ka-52 fleet is the integration of a new anti-tank missile, the LMUR, which has a range of approximately 15km. Ka-52 crews have been quick to exploit opportunities to launch these weapons beyond the range of Ukrainian air defenses,” British Military Intelligence added.
Besides the new features, the “M” version of the Ka-52 Alligator maintains the robust frame of the previous versions.
British Military Intelligence was able to determine that the Ka-52M Alligator in Ukraine was based on open-source intelligence. Specifically, Russian crews of the chopper have posted pictures on social media.
The Russian Aerospace Forces have lost around 40 Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters of all variants since the start of the invasion – the Ukrainian military is claiming more than 300 destroyed Russian attack and transport helicopters. However, the aircraft has been one of the most effective airframes in the war because of its robust structure and attack capabilities.
Russian Casualties
The Russian military continues to take significant casualties on the ground. On day 520 of the invasion, the Russian forces lost an average of 600 men killed, wounded, or captured.
Overall, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed that as of Thursday, Ukrainian forces have killed and wounded approximately 244,270 Russian troops, destroyed 322 fighter, attack, bomber, and transport jets, 311 attack and transport helicopters, 4,186 tanks, 4,745 artillery pieces, 8,147 armored personnel carriers, and infantry fighting vehicles, 698 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), 18 boats and cutters, 7,229 vehicles, and fuel tanks, 457 anti-aircraft batteries, 3,996 tactical unmanned aerial systems, 708 special equipment platforms, such as bridging vehicles, and four mobile Iskander ballistic missile systems, and 1,347 cruise missiles shot down by the Ukrainian air defenses.
A 19FortyFive Defense and National Security Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
From 19FortyFive
