Ka-52 attack helicopters pick off Islamic State vehicles in Syria

Ka-52 entered service in 2011. Tandem seater. A development of Ka-50 which is single seater. No tail rotor. Two counter rotating main rotors. The only attack helicopter having such configuration. Armed with Vikhr anti tank missiles. Unlike Hellfire anti tank missiles which are active laser seeking, Vikhr is semi active laser riding. It constantly adjusts itself to stay on the laser line of sight. One advantage might be, if there are multiple laser beams, Hellfire might select the wrong beam while this won't be a problem for Vikhr. Vikhr also faster than Hellfire, Mach 1.8 compared to Mach 1.3, though Hellfire has a bigger diameter 178 mm compared to 130 mm. Ka-52 is the only attack helicopter that has ejection seats.

a reply to: allsee4eye

Funnier than a Helicopter with ejector seats !

oh wait.....


Dang, i used to like that one. I'm still tripping out that choppers can do back flips

a reply to: allsee4eye

Am I the only one that feels ISIS were being protected for all that time? Suddenly, the gloves seem to be off. There's a lot of videos being released recently.

originally posted by: scubagravy
a reply to: allsee4eye

Funnier than a Helicopter with ejector seats !

oh wait.....


Dang, i used to like that one. I'm still tripping out that choppers can do back flips

The boomerang maneuver is more impressive.

There's very few things in life as fun as chasing jihadist scum with a helicopter.

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: allsee4eye

Am I the only one that feels ISIS were being protected for all that time? Suddenly, the gloves seem to be off. There's a lot of videos being released recently.

The operation in Eastern Homs is fairly recent. There was plenty of footage released during the liberation of Aleppo and Palmyra.

a reply to: Ohanka

Okay. I've not followed it that closely tbh. All I heard in the media is that Syria and Russia were targeting western backed rebels. Funny how they rarely focus on which faction it actually is that Russia targeted.

a reply to: allsee4eye

Hellfire employs Depleted Uranium, is more expensive, too.

Love the way Russians wait for the clandestine, covert terr-surgents to be resupplied, outfitted, and amassed (again) and then attack. They did the same Daesh thing when they went after all the oil trucks sitting in plain sight in the open desert.

The West sets them up and the Russians knock them down.

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a reply to: intrptr

Wow, that's a lot of bombs being dropped.

a reply to: allsee4eye

I was wondering why the corkscrew missile track, its riding a laser beam. Fire and forget missile systems self guide to a target, more expensive, but allow multiple targets to be engaged simultaneously. Not necessary in a target rich environment (like Syria) where the anti aircraft systems of the 'enemy' are almost non existent. The Russian helos can hover with impunity, shooting with leisure at fish in a barrel.

As an aside, where the Insurgents get these vehicles; what type and who supplies them?

Whoops, never mind...

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: intrptr

Wow, that's a lot of bombs being dropped.

Well someone had to do it. For all the war on terror hype in the west they seemed to miss all those trucks waiting to be filled and driven to Turkey.

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes

originally posted by: scubagravy
a reply to: allsee4eye

Funnier than a Helicopter with ejector seats !

oh wait.....


Dang, i used to like that one. I'm still tripping out that choppers can do back flips

The boomerang maneuver is more impressive.

I'm no longer sure i could handle the G's

a reply to: Wide-Eyes

Western Syria is important. All the ancient cities Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Latakia, Hama are there. More than 90% of the population is in western Syria. Eastern Syria is just about all desert. 99% of the battles are in western Syria, not in eastern Syria.

a reply to: intrptr

Fire and forget laser seeking missiles like Hellfire seek the point where laser shines on a target. They are auto guided like heating seeking missiles. The gunner shines a laser beam onto the target. AH-64 does not have to paint the target. Someone else even on the ground can do it. Hellfire seeks the laser impact point no matter who is shining the laser. Vikhr is laser riding. It does not seek where laser shines. The gunner of Ka-52 must keep a laser beam shining on the target. There is a sensor on the back of Vikhr that measure how it deviates from the beam and the missile constantly corrects itself to stay on the beam. AH-64 gunner can leave after firing Hellfire and have someone else the ground shine a laser on the target for Hellfire to seek. Ka-52 gunner cannot leave after firing Vikhr and must maintain a laser shining on the target until Vikhr rides the beam to the target.

originally posted by: intrptr
The Russian helos can hover with impunity, shooting with leisure at fish in a barrel.

That's not actually true. Syrian, Russian and Iraqi helicopters have been shot down, so it's not as leisurely as you may want to think. In fact, judging by the OP's video, these Russian helicopters are quite a distance from their targets. If there was no threat then they would use guns.

The Hellfire missile can be laser or radar guided. The Hellfire can be fire and forget, which is an advantage in a hostile environment. The Brimstone is superior to both Hellfire and Vikhr and can hit moving targets.

a reply to: paraphi

The Vikhr and Hellfire can also hit moving targets...

Accurately and reliably too.

a reply to: Ohanka

They seek or ride laser. The accuracy ultimately rests on how well the laser is placed on the target by the gunner.

I hope you are enjoying those black olives that your commander told you were going to be your female virgin servants. Dumbass g.........s!

a reply to: allsee4eye

Holding a laser on target is fine as long as air superiority is maintained, harder when ducking AA in the form of heat seekers or even anti radiation (radar or laser beam seeker) warheads.

Fire and forget enables the gunner to acquire and destroy more targets in the same amount of time.

Like the Maverick

Optical guidance is also one aspect of modern anti shipping missile technology.

The Insurgents in Syria have also used optical guidance to good effect with US TOW missiles in Syria, even though the missile is still gunner tracked to target, a distinct disadvantage because launch signature reveals gunners position.

a reply to: paraphi

In fact, judging by the OP's video, these Russian helicopters are quite a distance from their targets. If there was no threat then they would use guns.

Maintaining distance allows them to engage by surprise, not because the target is a threat... if the insurgents had air cover thats another issue. If they had radar equipped anti air components as part of their brigade, still another.

"Guns" are used for anti personnel or lightly armored vehicles, may not penetrate armor like shaped charge warheads.

Review the Collateral Murder video released by Wiki leaks for clarity. From long range, the journalists were unawares they were being targeted . They were not killed at stand off distances because they were threatening to the gunship.

In the video in OP, the actual firing of the missile and time to impact is all thats shown. Approaching the target area, identifying targets and assessing the threat takes a lot longer, all accomplished from stand off distances as great as possible so thy 'enemy' doesn't escape in the mean time.

"Oh look, theres a gun ship over there..." lol